LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

<  -       A. 

OF 


tiUa^^ 

Accession        "  vt 4  5 


UNITE  J18ITY 
•2*CAUFO«S> 


-BY- 


H.   H.   MILLEIR,  H.   P.   MILLEIR, 

J.   El.  WING, 


NEWS    PRINT, 

Ml    <    II    \NI<    Sl.l     K.,.        O. 

19O1. 


Preface. 


It  has  seemed  to  the  authors  that,  with  all  the  long  list  of  works 
on  sheep,  nothing  quite  met  the  case  of  the  Dorset  Sheep  under 
American  conditions.  This  work  is  the  result  of  their  experience. 
They  have  purposely  given  prominence  to  things  that  in  their  experi- 
ence have  proved  important  and  slighted  others  that  have  not  seem- 
ed of  much  importance  in  their  management.  Failures  with  Dorset 
sheep  are  usually  the  result  of  ignorance.  Methods  that  will  result 
fairly  well  with  some  breeds,  for  instance  with  Merinos,  will  not  do 
for  Dorsets  if  one  wishes  to  get  from  them  their  peculiar  possibilities 
in  the  way  of  profits.  Finally  we  submit  this  as  an  effort  towards 
help  and  feel  that  the  breeder  must  be  a  past  master  in  the  gentle 
art  of  shepherding  not  to  find  some  hints  here  that  will  be  useful  to 
him.  And  we  crave  your  kind  indulgence  if  we  have  slighted  some 
things  and  magnified  others,  we  have  spent  the  most  time  telling  of 
the  turns  v\  here  we  ourselves  missed  the  right  turnings. 


THE  DORSET  EWE. 


COUNTY  DORSET  is  one  of 

\  .%  the  most  southerly  of  the  coun- 

ties of  England.  It  is  a  warm, 
sunny,  sheltered  county,  having 
hills  and  valleys,  arable  lands 
and  pastures.  It  is  one  of  the 
oldest  civilized  parts  of  England-. 
Here  the  Romans  landed;  here 
they  builded  cities  and  walled  them;  to-day  some  of  the  walls  are 
standing,  and  the  roads  are  often  as  laid  off  by  them. 

When  the  breed  of  Horn  sheep  was  first  introduced  into  Dorset- 
shire history  does  not  recount.  Doubtless  the  breed  was  there  in 
Roman  days.  It  has  been  there  ever  since.  No  other  breed  has 
been  able  to  supplant  it,  though  at  different  times  other  sheep  have 
been  popular  in  parts  of  Dorsetshire  for  a  time.  They  have  always 
had  to  give  way,  however,  to  the  old  breed  of  Dorset  Horns.  Why 
is  this  ? 

THE    DAIRY    SHEEP. 

Go  back  half  a  century  and  more.  Sheep  were  the  dairy  ani- 
mals of  Dorset,  and  parts  of  the  adjacent  counties  of  Somerset  and 
Devonshire.  The  best  milking  ewes  were  selected,  their  ewe  lambs 
were  retained.  Already  the  Horns  were  famous  for  their  milking 
qualities.  This  use  intensified  the  qualities.  From  this  time  and 
this  custom  then  comes  the  wonderful  milking  properties  of  the  Dor- 
set ewe.  "I  was  raised  on  Dorset  milk,"  remarked  Dick  Stone  to 
the  writer.  This  milking  trait,  once  so  well  established,  formed  the 
foundation  for  the  somewhat  later  development  of  the  early  fat  lamb 
business. 


THE    EARLY    LAMB. 

Sheep  in  a  state  of  nature  drop  their  lambs  on  grass,  and  it  is 
hard  to  induce  them  to  conceive  to  drop  them  earlier.  The  Dorset 
is  so  much  an  artificial  production,  has  been  so  long  under  the  mould- 
ing hand  of  its  shepherds,  that  it  has  lost  this  instinct  and  now  the 
lambs  come  in  the  late  Fall  or  early  Wtnter  months.  The  shep- 
herds have  provided  abundant  winter  food  for  so  long,  the  ewes 
have  learned  to  look  for  it;  the  habit  has  been  so  firmly  fixed  that 
Dorset  ewes  habitually  lamb  in  November,  December  and  January. 
And  they  will  lamb  earlier  than  that  if  rightly  treated.  This  habit 
is  of  the  utmost  importance  and  value.  It  isthis  habit  that  gives  the 
Dorset  ewe  her  great  value  in  her  native  land.  There  her  lambs 
are  born  out  of  doors,  preferably  in  the  pretty  wind-protected  val- 
leys— it  is  a  mild  clime,  in  these  sheltered  valleys — there  is  generally 
some  grass,  there  are  turnips,  and  hay,  and  the  little  lambs  are  fed 
with  their  mothers  upon  our  corn  and  what  they  term  "cake,"  that 
is  oilmeal.  The  little  lambs  grow  prodigously,  filled  to  bursting  by 
their  mother's  milk,  and  eating  grain  like  little  pigs.  Lambs  in  Dor- 
set will  even  get  too  fat  to  walk,  as  little  pigs  will  sometimes  in  our 
land.  In  winter  and  early  spring  these  round,  plump,  sweet,  juicy 
lumps  of  baby  mutton  go  to  the  London  butchers.  They  bring  good 
grices,  what  would  be  considered  fabulous  prices  in  our  country. 

Thus  it  is  that  the  shepherds  of  Dorset  stick  by  their  Horn 
sheep.  It  is,  perhaps,  first  a  sentiment,  it  is  next  a  matter  of  profit. 
No  other  sheep  in  the  world  has  in  it  the  capacity  for  profit  that  the 
Dorset  Horn  has.  And  this  is  true  in  America  as  well  as  in  her 
native  county  of  Dorset. 

GETTING    FALL    LAMBS 

In  taking  the  Dorset  away  from  her  native  hills  it  must  be  borne 
in  mind  that  you  have  changed  the  conditions  materially.  To  get 
the  same  results  that  have  been  gotten  in  Dorsetshire,  then  you 
must  in  some  measure  supply  similar  conditions.  How  are  we  to  do 
this?  Well,  let  us  start  from  what  we  might  call,  a  basis  of  com- 
parison. In  Dorsetshire  the  ram  is  usually  coupled  with  the  ewes 
during  June  and  July,  but  in  this  climate  (referring  to  the  Eastern 
and  Middle  States)  that  any  large  and  uniform  success  in  breeding 


Dorsets  as  late  as  June  and  July  will  result,  we  think  improbable. 
Why?  Because  it  is  too  hot  then.  Now  most  seeds  require  great 
warmth  to  germinate;  some,  like  the  sweet  pea,  prefer  cool  condi- 
tions, so  we  plant  them  early.  The  same  reasoning  applies  to  sheep. 
Their  natural  time  of  mating  is  fall,  October  and  November,  cool 
months.  So  if  we  want  them  to  breed  in  the  spring  we  should  se- 
lect cool  periods.  This  seems  a  simple  thing.  Yes,  it  is.  And 
like  many  simple  things  is  overlooked.  When  we  started  with  Dor- 
sets  we  were  told  and  read  they  would  breed  any  time  of  the  year; 
also,  that  June  was  the  month  to  mate  them  for  fall  lambs.  We 
tried  them  in  June  for  several  seasons,  but  with  partial  success  only. 
This  experience  convinced  us  that  while  Dorsets  will,  in  isolated 


YEARLING  RAMS. 

-:ases,  breed  any  time  of  the  year,  that  for  uniform  and  complete 
success  the  "any  time"  must  be  a  time  when  conditions  are  right. 
We  were  now  on  the  true  track  and  realized  that  for  spring  breed- 
ing we  must  select  a  time  as  near  like  the  natural  period  of  fall  as 
possible,  and  (equally  important)  have  the  ewes  as  near  like  their 
natural  fall  condition  as  possible.  To  meet  these  desired  conditions 
we  suggest  the  observance  of  the  following : 

i st. — Have  the  ram  with  ewes  not  earlier  than  middle  of  March, 
not  later  than  middle  of  May. 

2nd. — Put  ram  with  ewes  nights,  not  days. 

3rd. — Use  young  ram,  and  feed  him  well  while  in  service. 

4th. — Do  not  have  ram  too  fat. 

5th. — Do  not  have  ewes  too  thin. 


6th. — If  ewes  were  not  shorn  in  fall,  shear  as  early  as  you  dare. 

7th. — Feed  ewes  green  food,  such  as  ensilage,  turnips,  carrots, 
mangles,  etc.,  with  some  corn. 

If  ewes  lambed  previous  fall  and  are  dry,  this  feed  is  not  neces- 
sary until  a  few  weeks  before  you  are  to  put  the  ram  with  them. 
But  no  matter  what  the  condition  of  ewes,  no  matter  what  you  have 
been  feeding,  increase  the  quantity  at  this  time.  For  remember  that 
during  fall  a  ewe  is  naturally  gaining  flesh,  while  during  spring  the 
tendency  is  to  lose  flesh.  Reverse  this  tendency  as  far  as  a  little 
feed  will  do  it,  and  make  that  extra  food  as  nearly  "green  as  grass" 
as  you  can.  And  remember,  never,  NEVER  let  lambs  be  born  later 
than  April  or  before  September.  Separate  your  rams  from  your 
ewes  the  first  of  November.  Any  ewes  not  with  lamb  then  will 
breed  for  next  fall  and  late  lambs  are  of  little  value  as  a  rule  and  to 
be  discountenanced  among  Dorsets. 

GETTING    THE    PROFITS. 

I  have  mentioned  the  feeling  of  sentiment  that  doubtless  con- 
tributes to  the  persistency  with  which  the  shepherds  of  Dorsetshire 
cling  to  their  favorite  breed.  In  our  country  there  is  little  of  senti- 
ment in  sheep  breeding;  we  are  newer  at  the  business;  we  have  an 
immense  expanse  of  land;  a  varied  climate,  and  nearly  all  breeds  of 
sheep  in  all  parts  of  the  country.  There  is  none  of  that  confining 
of  a  certain  breed  to  a  certain  county,  or  even  state  or  section.  And 
it  is  this  faith  in  the  breeding  of  one  kind  of  sheep  by  the  inhabit- 
ants of  a  limited  area  that  creates  sentiment.  But  of  profit — well, 
if  all  haven't  it,  all  want  it.  And  I  say  again,  no  breed  has  a  great- 
er capacity  for  profit  than  the  Dorset.  Properly  understood,  and 
consistently  handled  on  the  basis  of  such  understanding,  a  small  flock 
will  surely  add  a  pleasing  sum  to  the  annual  income,  while  a  good 
sized  flock,  such  as  the  average  farm  of  the  Eastern  and  Middle 
States  could  surely  carry,  will  represent  a  good  living.  For  instance, 
1  know  of  one  man  who  for  years  has  realized  about  $2,000  annual- 
ly from  a  flock  of  about  100  ewes.  This  is  equal  to  the  sales  from 
a  good  sized  dairy,  yet  the  cost  of  feed  and  labor  would  be  much 
less.  Surely  as  an  early  lamb  raiser  the  Dorset  is  a  money  maker. 
When  you  have  studied  the  breed  and  business,  make  a  start,  you 
will  then  realize  fully  the  pleasures  and  profits. 


RYE   AND   OATS    PASTURE. 

Here  is  a  combination  that  will  furnish  most  excellent  fall  pas- 
ture. And  how  the  ewes  and  lambs  will  relish  it !  Winter  rye  is 
often  pastured  in -the  spring;  but  with  oats,  sown  as  a  catch  crop  on 
odd  bit  of  ground  it  is  especially  certain  and  cheap  as  a  fall  pasture. 
Unlike  rape,  rye  will  grow  on  poor  land,  while  oats  in  the  fall  will 
grow  wherever  they're  dropped.  Everyone  can  find  a  place  for  few 
acres.  If  no  other  available  land,  after  corn  is  cut,  run  cultivator  or 
riding  harrow  over  corn  stubble  and  sow  broadcast.  If  your  corn  is 
cut  clean,  not  too  many  ears  lying  on  the  ground,  you  can  turn  in 
few  hours  each  day  before  husking;  however  this  practice  requires 
watchfulness,  for  while  it  will  take  the  lambs  a  long  time  to  discov- 
er and  eat  corn  ears,  the  ewes  will  soon  nose  them  out  and  if  left 


too  long  at  a  time  may  eat  too  many.  When  they  do  get  to  eating 
them,  if  you  leave  them  all  day,  you'll  very  likely  find  a  dead  ewe 
or  so  at  night.  Some  may  say,  why  not  pasture  a  regular  crop  of 
rye  and  not  bother  with  this  extra  piece?  Well,  you  can;  we  have 
ourselves,  but  the  practice  has  many  objections.  The  crop  may  not 
be  much  injured  if  it  has  good  top,  the  young  timothy  (usually  sown 
with  winter  rye)  will  though,  and  then  the  ground  will  be  compact- 
ed so  as  not  to  be  in  as  good  condition  for  clover  seeding  the  follow- 
ing spring.  It  is  much  better  to  have  a  piece  by  itself,  you'll  get 
two  or  three  times  the  amount  of  feed  from  it  and  won't  worry  over 
possible  injury.  Just  make  up  your  mind  to  have  it  and  you'll  find 
the  land.  Sow  any  time  during  September,  use  twice  as  much  rye 


as  oats,  put  on  thick,  not  less  than  three  bushels  to  the  acre.  When 
up  so  as  to  look  green  and  grassy  turn  on;  don't  be  afraid  as  there 
is  no  more  risk  than  with  grass.  It  is  good  practice  though,  with 
any  special  fall  pasture,  to  turn  on  grass  first  for  a  few  hours.  Your 
other  pasture  will  last  longer,  and  your  sheep  will  do  better. 

SUMMER    CARR   OF    PREGNANT    EWES. 

Good  summer  care  is  a  very  simple  matter.  Three  things  are 
necessary,  grass,  water,  shade.  In  the  matter  of  grass,  either  good 
native  pasture  or  a  run  in  clover  or  alfalfa  will  do.  There  is  this 
danger  of  clover  or  alfalfa  pasture  for  the  ewe  not  giving  suck  to  a 
lamb,  she  is  apt  to  become  too  fat.  There  is  nothing  equal  to  blue 
grass  at  this  period.  But  in  using  it  one  should  remember  the  dang- 
er of  parasitic  infection  that  comes  from  the  use  of  blue  grass.  We 
will  speak  of  this  later.  Water  should  be  clean,  as  fresh  as  is  pos- 
sible to  supply,  kept  in  raised  troughs  that  can  not  become  fouled 
with  excrements.  There  is  danger  of  parasitic  infection  from  the 
drinking  water.  This  is  especially  true  when  the  sheep  are  requir- 
ed or  allowed  to  suck  up  their  drink  from  marshy  seeps,  tiny  streams, 
grass-borded  or  stagnant  pools.  The  excrements  roll  down  and 
pollute  the  water,  the  germs  that  they  doubtless  contain  are  hatch- 
ed there,  the  sheep  take  them  in  again  and  in  ever  increasing  num- 
bers. And  while  mature  ewes  will  not  often  pine  away  and  die  as 
lambs  will,  yet  none  the  less  is  it  weakening  to  them  to  be  preyed 
upon  by  these  internal  parasites.  Not  only  stomach-worms  but 
tape-worms  are  spread  by  the  too  continual  use  of  pastures.  It  is  a 
safe  rule  never  to  stock  a  pasture  to  its  capacity  with  sheep.  Bet- 
ter always  keep  half  on  it  what  it  would  carry  and  graze  it  also  with 
cows,  or  perhaps  horses. 

vSHADE. 

You  may  depend  upon  it  that  your  tlock  will  seek  shade  and 
will  need  it.  If  you  are  wise  you  will  train  them  to  come  to  the 
bam,  or  to  sheds,  where  they  will  get  the  most  comfort  and  their 
droppings  will  be  under  cover.  There  are  two  things  gained  by 
this.  The  manurial  value  of  the  droppings  is  saved,  whereas  if 
they  are  piled  year  after  year  beneath  forest  trees  they  do  you  very 
little  good,  and  the  damger  of  infecting  the  land  is  much  reduced.  I 


10 


know  of  fields  where  ewes  always  lie  along  the  old  fences  seeking 
shade.  There  is  a  strip  of  very  rich,  rank  grass  along  these  fences. 
This  grass  is  deadly  to  lambs  and  dangerous  to  ewes  because  of  the 
parasites  that  it  harbors.  The  lamb  is  often  hungry.  He  lies  down 


a  little  while,  then  jumps  up,  goes  a  little  way  and  nibbles  the  grass. 
He  takes  in  the  germs  and  perishes  from  them  in  due  time.  This,  if 
there  was  no  other  reason,  would  lead  me  to  condem  the  practice  of 
allowing  ewes  to  shade  along  fences. 


1 1 


PUMPKIN    FEEDING. 

As  fall  comes  on  the  grass  is  perhaps  short  and  dry  and  there 
is  room  for  some  artificial  feeding.  Of  all  the  substances  that  may 
be  grown  and  fed  to  ewes  and  lambs  in  the  fall  none  compare  with 
pumpkins.  First,  they  may  be  grown  so  cheaply.  Our  practice  is 
to  grow  them  in  the  corn  where  they  are  a  catch-crop-  of  almost 
clear  profit.  We  find  it  necessary  to  plant  a  great  many  seeds  in 
order  to  get  what  pumpkins  we  need,  owing  to  the  ravages  of  the 
small  striped  bug,  and  this  is  the  only  secret  we  have  ever  observed 
in  getting  a  crop  of  pumpkins.  Certainly,  they  need  rich  soil.  In 
feeding  we  never  remove  the  seeds  as  they  are  the  richest  parts 
and  the  part  that  give  to  pumpkins  their  great  value  to  the  shep- 
herd. Pumpkin  seeds  are  among  the  best  vermifuges  known.  They 
destroy  and  expel  tape  worms  and  I  think  clean  out  many  forms  of 
worms,  certainly  I  do  know  that  you  may  take  an  old  ewe,  her  skin 
white,  her  eye  dull,  every  appearance  of  her  being  diseased,  feed 
her  all  the  pumpkins  she  will  eat  for  a  few  weeks  and  she  will  re- 
new her  youth.  When  we  have  them  in  abundance  we  haul  them 
out  by  the  ton,  simply  strewing  them  about  the  pastures  and  allow- 
ing the  sheep  to  gnaw  into  them  at  their  pleasure. 

CARE    IN    PUMPKIN    FEEDING. 

Like  many  another  good  thing,  however,  pumpkin  feeding  may 
be  carried  too  far.  There  is  danger  that  the  pregnant  ewe  may  be- 
come too  fat  if  allowed  all  the  pumpkins  she  will  eat.  This  is  the 
only  danger  and  the  remedy  is  easy. 

PUMPKINS    FOR    MILKING    EWES. 

After  the  little  lambs  come  is  the  time  when  pumpkins  come  in 
good  play.  There  is  nothing  so  good  for  the  milking  ewe.  Soon, 
too,  the  little  lamb  will  begin  to  nibble  them.  They  will  do  him  no 
harm,  though  he  will  need  stronger  food  with  them,  grain  of  some 
sort.  These  pumpkins  will  keep  indifmitely,  and  may  be  used  until 
about  Christmas.  1  give  this  much  space  to  the  pumpkin  because 
it  is  of  such  easy  culture  and  surely  no  farmer  who  is  keeping  sheep 
need  try  to  do  without  this  help. 


THE    RAPE    PLANT 

Quite  often  rape  will  be  a  great  help.  If  a 
small  field  can  be  sown  early  to  tide  over  the  hot, 
dry  part  of  summer  and  fall  it  will  be  of  great  use, 
and  it  may  be  sown  in  the  corn  at  the  time  of  last 
cultivation  where  it  will  to  a  large  extent  keep 
down  weeds  and  after  the  corn  is  cut  it  will  come 
on  if  the  season  is  favorable,  and  make  a  lot  of 
fall  and  early  winter  pasturage.  It  will  be  nec- 
essary to  haul  away  the  corn  before  sheep  can 
be  turned  in,  as  they  soon  learn  to  hunt  for  the  ears  and  gorge  them- 
selves. In  truth  in  cutting  the  corn,  or  in  husking  it  from  the  stalk, 
unusual  care  should  be  taken  not  to  let  too  much  corn  remain  scat- 
tered on  the  ground.  Dorset  ewes  have  the  sharpest  eyes  and  the 
best  appetites  of  any  sheep  and  will  gleam  every  ear  before  they  do 
much  else.  There  is  danger,  of  course,  of  their  getting  too  much 
corn.  Rape  is  generally  safe  feed,  though  there  are  times  when  it 
will  bloat  the  ewes.  It  is  not  usually  safe  to  allow  them  to  remain 
constantly  on  it  for  they  will  become  too  fat.  This  is  not  true  after 
lambing.  We  have,  seen  them  bloat  to  distress  on  rape  but  have 
never  had  any  die,  and  there  is  probably  little  danger  from  feed- 
ing it  at  any  time.  It  should  never  be  turned  on  when  frozen,  not 
that  it  will  hurt  the  ewes  so  much  but  each  leaf  that  is  bent  or  dis- 
turbed when  frozen,  will  be  killed  and  wasted.  It  takes  a  cold  of 
about  12  degrees  to  kill  rape.  In  selecting  a  field  for  rape  good  land 
should  be  chosen  and  it  should  be  remembered  that  ewes  will  need 
to  run  thereon  when  it  is  moist  so  that  if  it  is  a  field  of  clay,  apt  to 
pack  hard,  it  may  be  unwise  to  sow  to  rape.  If  the  sheep  are  taken 
off  at  Christmas,  however,  there  will  generally  be  time  for  frost  to 
liven  up  the  packed  land. 

"Rape  may  be  sown  with  oats,  barley,  winter  rye  or  wheat. 
If  sown  with  winter  rye  or  wheat,  harrow  the  rye  field  in  early 
spring  and  sow  about  two  pounds  of  rape  seed  per  acre,  harrowing 
lightly  again  after  the  seed  has  been  sown.  Such  harrowing  will 
usually  be  helpful  to  the  rye  crop.  Rape  seed  can  be  sown  with 
oats  or  barley,  but  if  this  is  done  the  growth  of  rape  is  liable  to  be- 


• 13 

come  so  rank,  especially  if  the  season  is  a  wet  one,  that  the  plants 
will  grow  as  tall  as  the  oats  or  barley.  When  this  happens  trouble 
occurs  at  harvest  time  owing  to  the  green  rape  plants  being  cut  and 
bound  in  the  sheaves,  causing  them  to  rot  under  the  bands.  The 
following  is  a  better  plan:  Eight  or  nine  days  after  sowing  the  oats 
or  barley,  when  the  young  grain  plants  are  three  or  four  inches  high, 
run  a  slant-tooth  harrow  over  the  field  to  loosen  the  soil.  Then 
seed  two  or  three  pounds  of  rape  and  harrow  lightly  again.  By 
seeding  in  this  way  the  grain  crop  has  so  much  the  start  of  the  rape 
that  the  latter  is  kept  small  and  spindling  until  the  grain  is  harvested. 
After  harvest  the  rape  plants  getting  the  benefits  of  sun  and  moist- 
ure begin  to  grow,  and  in  good  season  the  field  will  soon  be  covered 
with  green  forage.  Rape  seed  can  be  sown  broadcast  any  time 
from  April  until  August.  For  broadcast  seeding  prepare  the  land  as 
for  oats  and  sow  three  or  four  pounds  of  seed  per  acre  and  harrow  in 
lightly.  Land  on  which  rape  is  sown  broadcast  should  be  compara- 
tively free  from  weed  seeds  and  in  good  condition  generally."— 
HENRY. 

CARE   OF    FALL   AND    WINTER    LAMBS. 

Fall  lambs  come  strong  and  can  look  after  themselves;  there  is 
little  or  no  trouble  with  the  ewes,  the  most  important  thing  is  to 
watch  their  udders,  for  they  have  full  ones  at  that  time.  We  make 
a  practice  of  putting  the  ewes  on  thin  pasture  a  few  weeks  before 
the  lambs  are  due,  then  as  fast  as  they  drop  the  lambs  we  take  them 
to  the  barn,  where  they  are  kept  for  a  few  days,  getting  a  bite  of 
hay  and  a  bit  of  grain.  As  soon  as  the  lambs  take  all  the  milk,  the 
ewes  can  be  put  on  full  pasture  of  grass,  rye  and  rape,  until  snow 
flies.  One  thing  to  bear  in  mind  is,  these  lambs  should  never  get 
wet;  fall  storms  are  not  like  summer  showers,  and  they  are  very 
severe  on  young  lambs,  even  the  heavy  dews  of  fall  nights  where 
the  pasture  is  tall  and  heavy  should  be  avoided.  For  this  reason 
and  also  because  it  is  safer  for  the  ewes,  pasture  the  rye,  rape  and 
new  seeding  of  grass  during  the  day,  and  put  them  on  the  short 
grass  at  night.  The  best  way  of  all  is  to  bring  them  to  the  barn  for 
over  night,  they  will  have  shelter  in  case  of  sudden  storm,  and  any- 
way when  the  lambs  are  a  few  weeks  old  you  will  want  to  teach 
them  to  eat  grain;  the  bam  is  the  place  to  do  this.  They  should 


M 


have  a  room  or  space  all  to  themselves;  it  should  be  shut  off  from 
the  main  building  by  a  door  that  slides  up  and  down.  This  door 
should  have  a  space  for  a  creep  that  can  be  opened  and  shut  inde- 
pendent of  the  door.  When  all  the  lambs  are  in  their  room,  shut 
the  door  and  make  them  stay  there  until  they  have  eaten  all  their 
feed.  The  creep  can  then  be  opened  so  they  can  run  in  and  out  to 
nibble  at  the  hay.  This  method  is  much  more  effective  in  results  ob- 
tained than  using  the  creep  alone.  With  the  latter  only  many  of 
the  lambs,  especially  the  younger  ones,  will  spend  most  of  their 
time  creeping  in  and  out,  while  the  others  eat  all  the  feed  or  muss 


A  GOOD  TYPE. 

what  they  do  not  eat.  Another  advantage  with  Dorsets  is  that  less 
horns  are  broken,  the  lambs  never  rushing  and  crowding  through 
the  creep.  It  is  very  easy  to  teach  the  lambs  to  go  into  their  own 
room.  At  first  you  may  have  to  catch  a  few,  but  they  will  soon 
learn  to  run  right  in,  one  following  the  other. 

The  time  the  ewes  and  lambs  can  run  on  pasture  will  of  course 
vary  with  the  seasons.  But  as  long  as  they  are  on  pasture  one 
feed  of  grain  per  day  will  be  sufficient.  And  the  way  the  lambs 
will  grow  with  the  pasture  and  the  one  feed  will  be  a  revelation  to 
all  who  have  only  handled  spring  lambs. 


GRAIN    FEEDING    BEFORE    LAMBING. 

If  ewes  are  in  good  heart  it  is  never  necessary  to  feed  grain  be- 
fore lambing  unless  in  small  amounts.  It  is  not  often  safe  to  feed 
much  grain  to  the  pregnant  Dorset  ewe.  The  result  of  too  much 
grain  feeding  is  apt  to  be  a  weak  lamb,  hard  to  induce  to  live, 
whereas  Dorset  lambs  are  when  their  mothers  are  rightly  managed, 
the  strongest  lambs  in  the  world.  Dorsets  are  hungry  sheep.  They 
will  always,  if  not  sick,  eat  everything  before  them.  There  is  no 
sheep  with  a  better  appetite  or  digestion.  The  inexperienced  shep- 
herd is  quite  apt  to  over-feed  them.  Good,  sound  clover  or  alfalfa 
hay  is  quite  good  enough  for  the  pregnant  ewe  after  green  stuffs 
are  gone.  Let  her  have  a  plenty  of  it.  If  you  must  feed  some 
grain  to  keep  her  in  flesh  because  of  the  badness  of  your  hay,  feed 
oats  and  bran,  equal  parts  by  weight.  There  is  no  sheep  easier 
kept  in  flesh  if  she  is  not  worm-infested.  If  she  is  cared  for  as  she 
should  be  she  will  not  be  that. 

HOUSING. 

It  is  not  well  to  keep  the  pregnant  ewe  very  closely  housed. 
She  ought  to  have  a  good  run  and  every  day  when  it  is  not  actually 
storming  she  should  be  out.  Sometimes  the  run  of  a  dry  feed-lot,  with 
coarse  fodders  to  pick  over  in  the  yard,  will  be  sufficient,  and  this 
course  has  the  advantage  of  the  flock  being  always  in  view  and 
stray  lambs  being  born  are  apt  to  be  seen.  With  others  a  bit  of 
grass  of  ten  acres  or  more,  not  too  closely  grazed  in  the  fall,  will  be 
provided  and  on  this  the  ewes  will  take  a  great  deal  of  pleasure  and 
get  quite  a  good  deal  of  nourishment.  They  must  at  all  times  be  in 
the  mind  of  their  shepherd,  for  lambs  may  be  born  out  on  the  grass 
or  in  the  snow,  but  you  must  not  let  this  fear  deter  you  from  giving 
them  their  daily  run  out  of  doors.  It  must  not  be  thought,  however, 
that  because  a  certain  amount  of  out-door  life  is  good  no  shelter  at 
all  is  better.  A  comfortable  barn  is  needed,  and,  in  truth,  in  the 
Northern  states  indispensable. 

SHEDDING. 

A  comfortable  shelter,  closed  tight  on  the  north,  west  and  east 
sides,  with  chance  to  open  well  on  the  south  and  preferably  with 
considerable  glass  where  it  will  let  in  the  sun  is  what  you  need.  It 


:_ -       1 7 

need  not  be  an  expensive  structure,  It  is  better  to  have  storage  for 
hay  above.  There  must  be  ample  provision  for  fresh  air,  to  come 
in  from  the  south  so  that  cold  blasts  will  not  come  with  it.  Let 
there  be  a  yard  attached,  preferably  on  the  sunny  side.  Water 
may  be  in  the  barn,  or  in  the  yard  unless  in  a  very  cold  country. 
Every  night  the  flock  should  be  confined  to  their  barn.  It  will  be 
found  that  the  lambs  will  mostly  come  in  the  night.  And  if  the  doors 
are  open  it  will  generally  be  found  that  the  ewes  will  come  to  the 
barn  to  drop  their  lambs.  Too  close  shutting  in  will  work  harm  to 
the  flock.  Too  much  exposure  will  cost  you  their  thrift  and  the  loss 
of  some  lambs  in  severe  weather.  In  the  South,  Dorsets  thrive 
with  no  shelter  at  all  save  that  afforded  by  hill,  tree  and  shrub. 
Yet,  in  general,  it  will  be  found  that  it  will  take  less  feed  and  the 
flock  will  keep  in  better  condition  to  shelter  them  especially  from  all 
rains  in  cold  weather. 

WINTER  FEEDS — ENSILAGE- 

There  is  great  diversity  of  opinion  as  to  the  value  of  ensilage  for 
sheep,  or  rather  to  be  more  accurate,  the  difference  of  opinion  is 
more 'as  to  whether  it  can  be  fed  with  safety,  for  the  ensilage  itself 
is  generally  admitted  to  be  a  good  feed.  Some  sheep  feeders  will 
not  use  it  at  all,  some  of  our  experiment  stations  condemn  it  as  a 
sheep  feed.  For  our  part,  we  have  fed  it  for  many  years  to  both 
lambs  and  ewes,  and  consider  it  both  safe  and  of  much  value,  espec- 
ially so,  for  ewes  with  lambs  by  side.  But  it  must  be  used  with 
judgement,  which  means  not  to  feed  too  much  or  too  often.  Our 
practice  is  to  feed  once  a  day  during  winter  or  cold  weather  only; 
we  take  daily  from  the  silo  the  amount  of  a  day's  feed,  put  it  by  its- 
elf and  let  it  remain  for  a  few  hours  until  it  becomes  cool  to  the 
touch.  Late  in  the  spring  or  during  hot  weather  we  would  not  feed 
it  to  sheep  Also,  let  sheep  feeders  beware  of  it  when  taken  from 
near  the  bottom  of  the  silo,  it  is  then  very  wet  and  chuck  full  of 
acidity,  a  slow  poison  for  sheep.  You  don't  need  a  silo  in  the  sheep 
business,  but  you  can  use  one  if  you  have  it  and  want  to.  If  you 
keep  Dorsets  they  will  thrive  without  ensilage,  so  will  you. 

ROOTS. 


Sheep  without  roots!      Hamlet  without  the   Ghost!      Carrots, 


•ITS1MIITY 


- 

f  UNIT 

ti& 


iS 


turnips,  mangles,  there  is  no  question  about  the  value  and  safety  of 
this  trio.  I  name  them  in  the  order  of  their  excellence  as  sheep 
feed.  I  might  add  that  carrots  are  the  hardest  to  grow,  the  best  to 
feed;  turnips  the  easiest  to  grow,  the  most  universally  fed;  mangles 


the  surest  to  grow,  the  poorest  to  feed.  They  all  need  rich  ground, 
all  will  do  better  on  a  rather  heavy  soil,  but  you  can  get  a  good  crop 
from  light  soil  well  enriched.  Carrots  should  be  sown  about  corn 
planting  time  in  rows  two  and  a  rulf  feet  apart,  the  rows  slightly 


19 

ridged,  this  ridging  facilitates  weeding,  makes  easier  pulling;  sow 
quite  thick  to  insure  good  stand,  as  they  are  shy  starters,  when  up 
few  inches  thin  with  a  broad  hoe  leaving  little  bunches  between 
strokes  of  hoe,  thin  these  bunches  by  hand  to  one  plant.  After 
this  there  is  little  work.  Use  the  large  stock  varieties,  not  the  table 
carrot.  Turnips  can  be  sown  from  middle  of  June  to  middle  of  July 
in  rows  two  and  half  or  three  feet  apart,  either  flat  or  ridged  high; 
sow  them  thin  but  even,  they  are  quick,  easy  starters,  when  well 
up,  thin  at  once  (don't  let  'em  get  big)  with  hoe  to  one  plant  twelve 
or  fifteen  inches  apart.  An  occasional  cultivation  afterwards  is  all 
that  is  needed.  Use  the  Swede  varieties.  Mangles  should  be  sown 
early  in  the  spring;  sow  same  as  turnips,  only  thicker  as  they  are 
slow  to  start  and  many  seeds  will  not  sprout  if  a  bit  dry,  care  for 
them  same  as  turnips,  but  thin  further  apart.  The  ewes  and  es- 
pecially the  lambs  will  be  crazy  for  the  carrots,  and  you  are  not  apt 
to  have  enough  to  feed  too  many.  They  will  eat  the  turnips  eager- 
ly too,  and  many  shepherds  think  you  can't  feed  them  too  many; 
we  have  had  large  experience  in  feeding  turnips,  having  used  them 
in  unlimited  quantities  for  ewes,  rams  and  lambs.  We  think  preg- 
nant ewes  can  be  fed  too  many,  and  that  it  is  better  to  limit  them  to 
one  moderate  feed  per  day  until  after  lambing,  when  they  can  safe- 
ly have  as  many  as  they'll  eat.  Mangles  contain  the  most  water  of 
the  three,  and  are  rather  chilly  eating  on  a  cold  winter's  day,  they 
are  perhaps  the  best  keepers  though,  and  are  very  acceptable  to 
sheep  in  late  spring,  although  we  have  the  idea  they  do  not  like 
them  as  well  as  turnips,  and  know  that  carrots  are  "pie"  to  them 
compared  with  mangles.  Care  must  be  used  in  feeding  mangles  to 
rams,  as  in  quantity  they  have  deleterious  effect  upon  the  bladder. 
If  you  keep  Dorsets,  grow  some  kind  of  roots.  Dorsets  are  the 
alchemists  among  sheep,  and  will  turn  them  into  gold  for  you. 

CLOVERS    AND    LEGUMKS 

You  are  engaged,  now,  in  making  milk  and  baby  flesh.  Each 
is  largely  composed  of  protein,  to  produce  which  you  must  feed  pro- 
tein. That  means  to  buy  large  amounts  of  wheat  bran,  gluten  feed 
or  oil  meal,  or  it  means  to  produce  your  own  protein  supply.  You 
can  do  this  most  easily  by  growing  red  clover,  alfalfa,  soy  beans  or 
cow  peas. 


20 


ALFALFA. 

This  is  the  richest  and  most  easily  grown  hay  in  the  world. 
Sheep  love  it.  It  is  the  best  maintainance  ration  for  ewes  before 
lambing  in  winter  and  the  best  basis  for  any  combination  of  feeds 


for  them  after  lambing.  An 3  almost  anyone  can  grow  it  who  has 
sheep.  The  reason  is  that  it  requires,  MUST  have,  rich  soil  and 
sheep  make  manure  that  will  enrich  that  soil.  Take  an  acre  or  two 


•s 


as  a  beginning,  on  dry,  pervious  soil,  where  it  is  dry  and  firm  in 
winter,  apply  manure  liberally,  plow  deep  in  early  spring,  work 
down  to  a  good  tilth  and  sow  one  or  two  bushels  of  spring  beardless 
barley  to  the  acre  and  15  pounds  of  alfalfa  seed.  Cover  the  seed 
lightly.  Roll  it  if  not  too  moist.  Cut  the  barley  for  hay  or  grain 
and  mow  the  alfalfa  close  once  or  twice  that  summer  after  the  bar- 
ley is  taken  off.  Keep  all  stock  off  during  cold  or  wet  weather,  in 
fact  keep  them  off  at  all  times  for  the  first  two  years.  You  will  now 
have  a  set  of  alfalfa  that  will  give  you  from  three  to  eight  tons  per 
acre  the  second  year  and  for  many  years  thereafter.  Mow  the  al- 
falfa as  soon  as  bloom  appears  in  the  spring  and  at  intervals  of  about 
thirty-five  days  thereafter.  And  sow  another  acre  or  two  as  you 
get  the  manure  and  the  experience.  Woodland  Farm  begun  ten 
years  ago  with  an  acre  and  now  cuts  near  250  tons  yearly  besides 
pasturing  a  good  deal. 

There  is  absolutely  no  danger  in  feeding  alfalfa  hay  but  there  is 
need  of  care  in  pasturing  green  alfalfa.  The  danger  comes  from 
bloat  and  that  is  the  result  of  indigestion,  caused  by  the  animals  eat- 
ing too  greedily  of  the  delicious  green  feed.  We  let  the  alfalfa  grow 
up  about  twelve  inches  tall,  then  when  the  sheep  are  full  of  green 
grass  and  at  about  ten  o'clock,  when  the  sun  is  warm,  turn  them 
into  the  alfalfa.  They  remain  there  constantly  except  that  they 
come  to  the  barn  to  shade  during  the  heat  of  the  day.  They  go  back 
as  soon  as  they  care  to  graze.  Treated  in  this  way  we  have  had  no 
loss  from  bloat  but  have  had  magnificent  results  in  development  of 
our  young  sheep.  CAUTION. — After  frost  alfalfa  should  never  be 
grazed  as  it  is  apt  to  cause  indigestion  and  death.  There  is  no  crop 
that  will  return  so  much  feeding  value  per  acre  as  alfalfa,  if  you  are 
on  alfalfa  land,  or  will  take  the  trouble  to  make  your  land  alfalfa  land. 
If  your  land  is  deficient  in  lime  it  should  be  well  limed  AFTER  it  has 
been  well  manured,  lime  alone  will  not  make  alfalfa  land  of  it.  If 
it  is  based  on  shale,  close  to  the  surface,  it  may  not  pay  to  sow  al- 
falfa which  roots  quite  deep. 

RFD   CLOVER. 

What  will  secure  a  stand  of  alfalfa  will  also  secure  a  stand  of 
red  clover  though  as  it  is  a  bi-ennial  it  need  not  be  expected  to  re- 


22 


main  in  the  soil  more  than  two  seasons.     It  has  a  rich  nutritive  value 
and  should  always  be  cut  for  sheep  before  the  heads  are  brown. 

SOY    BEANS. 

In  the  Northern  states  the  soy  bean  is  a  rich  gift.  Planted  in 
drills  about  22  inches  apart,  cultivated  once  or  twice,  cut  with  a 
binder  and  threshed,  they  yield  from  15  to  30  bushels  per  acre  of 
extremely  rich  beans  which  will  go  far  towards  balancing  a  ration. 


Ready  for  New  York  and  Good  for  $10.00.— From  Peelle's  Place. 

Sheep  are  very  fond  of  these  beans  and  also  of  the  leaves  and  stems, 
if  saved  without  rain.  John  B.  Peelle,  who  is  a  leading  hot-house 
Dorset  lamb  producer  relies  greatly  on  his  soys  and  saves  immense- 
ly in  his  feed  bill  thereby,  besides  producing  $10.00  lambs  in  abund- 
ance. Sow  early  varieties  north. 

cow  PEAS. 

In  the  Southern  states  and  along  the  border  there  are  regions 
where  neither  red  clover  nor  alfalfa  are  to  be  depended  upon  and 


2  3 

where  soils  need  building  up  to  fit  them  for  other  crops.  Here  the 
cow  peas  come  in  exceedingly  well.  They  are  great  soil  builders, 
rich  in  protein,  make  good  summer  or  winter  forage  and  are  the 
great  reliance  of  the  Southern  shepherd.  Cow-peas  sown  among 
ensilage  corn  help  to  balance  that  ration,  sown  among  soiling  crops 
of  rape  or  sorghum  serve  to  balance  them  and  enrich  the  soil  at  the 
same  time.  They  must  not  be  sown  until  after  the  land  is  warm  in 
the  spring. 

CANADA    FIELD    PEAS. 

There  is  sometimes  a  confusion  of  terms,  the  Canadian  field  peas 
are  much  like  ordinary  garden  peas  and  must  be  sown  very  early, 
on  good  soil,  with  oats  or  barley  as  a  soiling  or  pasture  crop.  Cow- 
peas  are  really  beans,  must  be  sown  late,  will  grow  on  soil  that  will 
not  produce  Canada  peas.  The  Canada  peas  and  barley  make  an 
ideal  soiling  feed,  or  the  lambs  may  run  through  creeps  and  eat  the 
mixture  and  will  thrive  thereon  first  rate.  The  advent  of  hot,  dry 
weather  finishes  the  Canada  peas,  however. 

PUTTING    THE    LAMBS    FORWARD 

A  good  old  English  practice  is  to  hurdle  the  field  with  creeps  so 
that  the  lambs  may  "run  forward"  of  their  mothers,  thus  getting 
the  first  bite  of  the  fresh  feed.  From  time  to  time  the  hurdles,  or 
panels  of  movable  fence,  are  moved  up  and  the  lambs'  ewes 
clean  up  what  the  lambs  have  been  over.  This  is  a  good  way  to 
make  fine  lambs  at  small  expense  and  to  keep  them  free  from  para- 
sites. The  best  of  all  for  the  babies  always. 

SHEARING. 

There  is  no  sheep  easier  to  sheer  and  sheer  well  than  the  Dor- 
set. The  wool  cuts  easily,  the  operator  can  as  well  as  not  leave  a 
smooth,  close-cut  surface.  The  machines  work  well  on  Dorset 
sheep  and  some  of  the  best  American  flocks  are  shorn  by  machines 
altogether.  The  use  of  the  machines  is  most  discouraging  to  ticks, 
which  are  almost  certainly  cut  in  two  and  destroyed.  Care  should 
be  taken  not  to  shear  too  close  after  flies  are  troublesome  as  there 
is  not  enough  wool  to  protect  the  sheep  after  the  machine  shear  has 
been  over  her  back.  The  last  week  in  March  or  early  in  April  is  a 


•fl^ 


good  time  to  shear  the  flock,  in  warm  climates  it  is  often  well  to 
shear  again  in  late  August.  This  couble  shearing  does  not  make 
much  more  wool,  perhaps  no  more  at  all  but  it  is  a  relief  to  the  over- 
burdened sheep. 

MARKIN'i 

The  English  method  of  marking  by  branding  figures  in  the  horn 
is  a  good  one  but  slow  and  necessarily  the  horn  must  first  grow  so 
that  some  means  of  marking  the  lambs  must  be  adopted.  Ear  labels 
of  various  sorts  are  on  the  market  and  all  are  open  to  the  objection 
that  they  lose  out.  Some  breeders  use  the  tattoo  mark  with  suc- 
cess though  others  fail  in  using  it  The  secret  of  success  with  the 
tattoo  mark  is,  first,  see  that  the  jaws  are  exactly  parallel.  They 
may  be  made  so  by  careful  use  of  the  file.  The  points  of  the  letters 
should  indent  evenly  a  thick  piece  of  paper.  Next,  plenty  of  India 
ink  should  be  used.  The  points  should  be  firmly  pressed  in  and  im- 
mediately the  ink  must  be  rubbed  into  the  wounds.  The  advantage 
of  the  tattoo  mark  is  that  it  does  not  deface  the  ear,  is  absolutely 
permanent  and  can  not  be  transferred  by  any  trickster  from  one 
sheep  to  another.  Tattoo  markers  are  make  by  F.  S.  Burch,  178 
Michigan  Street,  Chicago,  111.  The  first  cost  is  rather  heavy  but  in 
the  long  run  there  is  a  saving  as  the  ink  is  cheap. 

WRANTNG. 

Don't  be  in  a  hurry  to  wean  lambs  that  are  to  be  kept.  There 
is  nothing  like  mother's  milk,  unless  it  is  more  mother's  milk!  Let 
the  lambs  have  access  to  all  the  bran  and  oats  they  can  eat,  all  the 
green  feed  and  the  mother's  milk  too.  You  can  shorten  the  time  of 
development  at  least  one  year  by  liberal  feeding.  It  takes  less  feed 
to  make  a  sheep  if  it  is  fed  in  one  year  than  if  it  had  been  fed  in 


35 

two  years.  When  the  lambs  are  separated  from 
their  mothers  take  away  the  ewes,  the  lambs 
fret  very  little.  If  there  is  yet  milk  in  the  ewes 
remove  it  a  few  times,  not  quite  clean. 

DIPPING. 

"A  man  ought  to  bathe  once  a  year,  wheth- 
er he  needs  it  or  not."  So  of  the  sheep,  dip 
them  once  a  year,  whether  they  need  it  or  not. 
There  are  almost  surely  a  few  ticks,  maybe  a  few  lice  on  them. 
Dipping  costs  but  a  trifle.  Provide  a  steel  tank,  galvanized.  Sink 
it  in  the  floor  of  your  sheep  house.  When  not  in  use  cover  it  with 
good  planking.  A  tank  six  or  eight  feet  long  will  answer  for  a  small 
flock  and  as  they  are  all  narrow  it  takes  but  little  stuff  to  fill  them. 
Have  the  draining  pen  long  and  narrow  so  that  as  the  sheep  walk  up 
one  at  a  time  they  may  be  let  out  ahead.  Pen  with  movable  hurd- 
les or  panels.  Half  a  day  with  three  active  men  will  dip  a  flock  of 
a  hundred.  The  carbolic  dips  are  safe  and  good.  There  is  no  prof- 
it in  ticks,  though  there  is  much  money  in  them,  at  present ! 

MATING. 

"The  sire  is  half  the  herd,  if  he  is  a  poor  one  he  is  all  of  it." 
Get  a  vigorous  sire.  Do  not  think  too  much  of  size.  Look  that  he 
is  active,  muscular,  alive  all  over.  See  that  he  is  big  through  the 
heart.  See  that  he  has  a  straight  back,  a  well  sprung  rib,  a  good, 
short,  straight  leg.  See  that  his  horn  is  strong,  well  turned.  See 
that  his  neck  is  thick  and  muscular.  Have  him  well  wooled  all  over. 
Study  your  scale  of  points.  Don't  quibble  about  the  price  but  be  a 
stickler  for  quality.  If  he  is  not  right  you  will  regret  it  all  your  life, 
maybe,  for  it  takes  ten  year's  weeding  to  undo  one  year's  bad 
breeding.  And  every  year  send  to  the  butcher  the  ewes  that  you 
know  are  inferior. 


26 


SCALE  OF  POINTS 


Adopted   by  Continental  Dorset  Club. 


HEAD — neat,  face  white,  nostrils  large,  well  covered  on  crown 

and  under  jaws  with  wool 5 

HORNS — small  and  gracefully  curving  forward  rather  close  to 

jaw  _  5 

EYES — prominent  and  bright 2 

EARS — medium  size  covered  with  short  white  hair 2 

NECK — short,  symmetrical,  strongly  set  on  shoulders,  gradual- 
ly tapering  to  junction  of  head 5 

SHOULDERS — broad  and  full,  joining  neck  forward  and  chine 

backward  with  no  depression  at  either  point,  (important)     15 

BRISKET— wide  and  full,  forward,  chest  full  and  deep 8 

FORE  FLANK — quite   full,    showing   little   depression  behind 

shoulder 8 

BACK  AND  LOIN— wide  and  straight,  from  which  ribs  should 

spring  with  a  fine,  circular  arch 10 

QUARTERS — wide  and  full,  with  mutton   extending  down  to 

hocks 10 

BELLY — straighten  underline 3 

FLEECE — medium  grade,  of  even  quality  presenting  a  smooth 

surface  and  extending  over  belly  and  well  down  on  legs.     12 

GENERAL  CONFORMATION— of  the  mutton  type,  body 
moderately  long;  short,  stout  legs,  placed  squarely  under 
body,  skin  pink,  appearance  attractive 15 

Total  _.  .   100 


27 
DISEASES  OF  SHEEP. 


THIS  is  not  meant  for  a  scientific  discussion 
of  diseases  and  remedies;  it  is  merely  an  ef- 
fort to  group  the  common  ailments  under  their 
common  names  in  alphabetical  order.  The 
remedies  given  are  tried  ones  and  the  direc- 
tions are  brief  and  simple,  just  as  if  we  were 
talking  to  each  other.  Where  there  is  no 
practical,  tried  remedy  known,  no  attempt  is 
made  to  appear  erudite  by  naming  possible  ones.  In  such  cases 
prevention  is  indicated,  which  after  all  is  the  Great  Sheep  Remedy. 


ABC  Ailments  and  Remedies. 


Abortion — Strictly  speaking  this  is  not  a  disease,  but  the  result  of 
disease  or  accident.  Among  sheep  it  is  seldom  epidemic.  If 
the  contagious  form  appears  the  cause  must  be  ascertained  in 
order  to  apply  any  remedy  for  checking  the  spread.  In  cases 
of  epidemic  abortion  you  should  get  the  advice  of  a  veterinary. 
Individual  cases  are  mostly  the  result  of  crowding  the  animals 
through  narrow  spaces;  rough  handling;  fright  or  injury  from 
any  cause. 

Braxy — This  is  a  disease  of  sheep;  but  the  term  is  so  variously  ap- 
plied in  different  section,  that  is  not  wise  to  specify  causes  or 
remedies. 

Bloating — Give  tablespoonful  baking  soda,  and  half  tablespoonful 
ground  ginger  in  pint  of  water.  Fasten  mouth  open  with  band 
of  straw  or  piece  of  corn  cob;  straddle  the  animal  and  gently 
but  regularly  knead  or  work  the  extended  sides.  Use  the  trocar 
as  a  last  resort. 

Barren  Ewes — Too  much  flesh  is  usually  the  cause.  Force  constant 
exercise;  reduce  feed  for  month  or  more  before  breeding;  then 
feed  liberally. 


28 


Choking — Give  small  doses  of  linseed  oil,  and  work  throat  gently 
with  hand.  As  a  last  resort,  bunch  securely  a  rag  on  end  of 
piece  of  whalebone  or  other  flexible  substance,  oil,  and  push 
carefully  down  throat. 

Casting  the  Withers — See  prolapsus  uterus 


Diarrhea-Scours — Give  teaspoonful  to  tablespoonful  castor  oil  to 
sucking  lambs.  For  older  sheep  change  pasture  or  feed.  Protract- 
ed cases  can  be  helped  by  giving  handful  wheat  flour  in  feed. 


Diarrhea  of  weaned  lambs  and  mature  sheep  is  often  caused  by 
worms,  also  by  certain  weeds  in  pasture  or  hay.  In  such  cases 
the  cause  must  be  removed. 

Docking — Use  the  docking  irons  or  pincers.  About  a  week  old  is 
good  age  to  operate.  But  if  the  lambs  are  strong  any  age  from 
few  days  to  fortnight  will  do. 

Foot  Rot — Cut  carefully  away  every  particle  of  the  diseased  part, 
and  apply  salve  made  of  blue  stone  and  lard.  Tie  coarse  bag- 
ging around  foot  to  keep  salve  on  and  dirt  out.  When  the  rpt 
extends  into  the  flesh  above  the  hoof,  wash  with  a  50  to  i  solu- 
tion of  carbolic  acid,  and  apply  powdered  burnt  alum.  Running 
sheep  through  fresh  slaked  lime  watered  to  the  consistency  of 
paste,  is  great  preventive  of  foot  rot.  Dry  lime  put  around 
feeding  and  watering  places  is  helpful  also. 

Garget — This  often  follows  neglected  caked-bag,  particularly  apt  to 
if  ewe  is  exposed  to  wet  and  cold.  If  udders  are  properly  look- 
ed after  at  lambing  and  weaning  time,  it  will  seldom  occur. 
For  general  treatment  see  Caked-bag. 

Goitre — There  is  no  known  remedy  that  will  prevent  this  serious 
trouble.  Fortunately  it  seems  to  be  prevalent  only  in  certain 
parts  of  this  country.  As  it  is  hereditary,  affected  animals 
should  never  be  used  for  breeding  purposes.  Iodine  will  reduce 
the  swellings. 

Constipation — For  sucking  lambs  give  castor  oil,  teaspoonful  to 
tablespoonful  according  to  age  and  severity  of  trouble.  For 
mature  sheep  use  epsom  salts,  4  to  6  ounces  in  pint  of  warm 
water.  Never  give  salts  when  there  is  evidence  of  pain.  Sub- 
stitute raw  linseed  oil  or  better  yet  castor  oil.  The  use  of 
stimulants  in  small  quantities,  such  as  brandy,  gin  or  whiskey 
will  increase  the  action  of  the  cathartics. 

Castration — From  two  to  four  weeks  old  is  convenient  and  safe  age 
to  operate.  Apply  an  antiseptic  after  operation,  such  as  the 
carbolized  non-poisonous  sheep  dips. 

Colds — Give  teaspoonful  carbonate  iron,  as  much  quinine  as  nickel 


will   nicely  take  up,   and  wine-glassful  of   whiskey.      Repeat 
every  other  day  for  a  week  or  so. 

Caked-bag — Keep  udder  milked  out,  and  do  not  allow  ewe  to  be  ex- 
posed to  cold  and  wet.  Apply  to  udder  a  liniment  made  by 
mixing  i  quart  tincture  of  arnica,  6  ounces  tincture  of  belladon- 
na, and  4  ounces  spirits  of  camphor.  Rub  on  vigorously  with 
palms  of  hands.  If  a  ewe  has  a  very  large  extended  hard  feel- 
ing udder  before  lambing,  do  not  hesitate  to  milk  it  out  some. 
Never  change  suddenly  from  low  feeding  to  high  feeding  in  a 
Dorset  ewe,  the  result  is  apt  to  be  caked-bag.  Too  much  corn 

CROSS-BRED  DORSET-SHROPSHIRE  LAMBS 


Ready  for  Market  on  Woodland  Farm 

feeding  is  inducive  to  this  trouble. 

Grub  in  the  Head — This  term  is  usually  applied  to  a  grub  that  is  laid 
alive  in  the  sheep's  nostrils  by  the  Sheep  Gad  Fly,  during  the 
hot  months  of  summer.  The  grub  works  its  way  upwards 
causing  much  distress  and  "snotty  noses."  There  is  no  com- 
plete cure.  The  preventives  are  any  contrivances  that  help 
the  animal  to  escape  the  fly.  Tar  on  the  noses  repels  the  fly; 
but  it  is  a  difficult  thing  to  keep  the  noses  always  tarred. 
Shady  places  and  strips  of  plowed  ground  to  lie  on,  and  long 


grass  are  helps  to  the  sheep.  Death  seldom  results;  but  great 
distress  and  worry  does.  These  grubs  cannot  possibly  reach 
the  head  proper  or  brain  cell.  There  is  a  grub  though,  that 
gets  there  by  way  of  the  spinal  canal.  There  is  no  practical 
cure  for  this  kind  of  grub  in  the  head.  It  is  sure  death  to  the 
animal.  A  skillful  surgeon  might  resort  to  trepanning;  but 
aside  from  the  expense,  this  would  be  a  doubtful  operation,  as 
often  the  grubs  are  three,  four  or  more  in  number,  and  lodged 
in  different  parts  of  the  brain  cell,  so  all  could  not  be  removed. 

Gid  or  Staggers — Some  authoritiss  call  grub  in  the  head  by  this 
name,  as  in  its  advanced  stages  the  sheep's  brain  is  affected 
and  it  staggers  about.  These  symptoms  follow  the  grub  in  the 
head  proper,  not  the  grub  in  the  nostrils,  which  commonly  goes 
by  the  name  of  grub  in  the  head.  There  are  several  ailments 
which  cause  sheep  to  stagger  and  stumble,  and  each  of  them  is 
often  called  by  this  name.  Highly  fed  sheep  will  sometimes 
accumulate  blood  too  fast,  and  it  will  go  to -the  head  causing 
this  staggering  symptom.  Generally  when  the  sheep  acts  this 
way  it  is  going  to  die  sure,  no  matter  what  the  cause. 

Hoose  or  Husk — Another  name  for  lung  disease.  See  paper  skin 
for  treatment. 

Impaction — Young  sucking  lambs  are  subject  to  this,  especially  the 
richly  nourished  ones.  The  milk  becomes  hard  or  impacted  in 
the  intestines.  When  a  fat  lamb  hangs  its  ears  and  mops 
around  it  is  very  likely  impaction.  Give  tablespoonful  castor 
oil;  if  this  does  not  move  the  bowels,  give  injection  of  warm 
soap  suds.  For  mature  sheep  give  wheat  bran  with  little  salt 
made  into  a  mash.  For  severe  cases,  two  or  three  ounces  each 
of  raw  linseed  oil  and  molasses  will  make  a  strong  purgative. 
Mature  sheep  are  not  subject  to  this  ailment  if  fed  at  all  prop- 
erly. 

Inflammation  of  the  Stomach — This  may  follow  neglected  cases  of 
impaction.  The  sheep's  evidence  of  distress  and  pain  in  the 
stomach  will  indicate  this  trouble.  Two  ounces  castor  oil  with 
half  once  of  laudanum  will  relieve  somewhat  the  pain.  If  there 


is  fever,  as  probable,  five  to  ten  drops  of  aconite  will  be  of  help. 
Keep  all  feed  away  for  day  or  so,  and  then  feed  lightly  of  suc- 
culent, laxitive  food. 

Knotty  Guts — See  Nodular  disease. 

Liver  Fluke — This  is  a  disease  of  the  liver  caused  by  internal  para- 
sites.    In  its  advanced   stage  it  is  hopeless  to  give  medicines. 


The  source  of  infection  must  be  ascertained  and  destroyed  or 
sheep  removed  from  same.  The  drinking  of  stagnant  water  is 
common  cause. 

Lice — Use  any  of  the  standard  sheep  dips  as  directed.  Dalmation 
powder  applied  with  powder  gun  is  effective  for  red-headed 
louse. 


___^__  . 33 

Lung  Disease — This  is  a  disease  of  the  lungs  caused  by  internal 
parasites.  Some  writers  refer  to  it  as  paper  skin.  The  animals 
lack  blood,  the  skin  looks  white,  also  the  lips  and  eyeballs  un- 
der the  lids.  As  with  most  other  internal  parasites  there  is 
no  known  cure  for  this.  For  general  treatment  of  anaemic  con- 
dition see  paper  skin. 

Nodular  Disease — Knotty  guts:  This  is  a  disease  caused  by  inter- 
nal parasites.  An  examination  of  the  intestines  will  reveal 
numerous  little  tumors  or  knots  growing  to  same.  Many  sheep 
are  more  or  less  affected  with  this,  and  no  apparent  harm  re- 
sults. At  times  and  in  certain  sections  it  is  very  destructive. 
No  positive  remedy  is  known.  All  that  can  be  done  is  to  give 
extra  care,  change  of  pasture,  and  avoidance  of  any  possible 
source  of  infection.  This  disease  is  more  common  and  fatal  in 
the  South  than  in  the  North. 

Paper  Skin — Properly  this  is  the  name  for  lung  disease.  Generally 
though;  it  is  applied  to  sheep  in  an  anaemic  condition,  and  this 
condition  is  the  result  of  various  diseases.  There  is  a  lack  of 
blood  in  the  system,  causing  the  skin  to  appear  white  and  life- 
less like.  Carbonate  of  iron  is  a  blood  builder  and  a  tonic  of 
this  with  equal  parts  each  ground  ginger  and  gentian  is  very 
excellent  for  the  anaemic  condition.  A  tablespoonful  of  the 
mixture  once  a  day  in  feed  for  a  week  or  so.  A  sheep  in  good 
health  has  a  pink,  inviting  skin.  When  the  skin  gets  pale  or 
white  it  is  a  sure  sign  of  some  ailment.  As  soon  as  this  symp- 
tom appears  start  at  once  and  give  extra  care  and  attention,  and 
feed  with  above  tonic. 

Prolapsus  Uterus — Falling  or  protruding  of  the  womb.  Many  cases 
called  this  are  merely  the  inversion  of  the  vagina — literally  the 
turning  inside  out  of  the  the  lining  membrane.  The  rectum 
also  sometimes  protrudes.  Give  laxative  foods.  Thoroughly 
cleanse  the  protruding  parts,  anoint  with  raw  linseed  oil  with 
little  laudanum  in  it,  knead  gently  and  return.  Give  internal- 
ly four  ounces  of  raw  linseed  oil  with  tablespoonful  of  laudanum. 
If  above  is  not  successful  after  a  few  trials,  it  will  be  necessary 
to  fix  straps  or  harness  so  as  to  hold  the  protruding  parts  in  for 
a  few  days. 


34 


Rheumatism — Young  lambs  are  occasionally  affected  with  a  stiff- 
ness and  lameness  of  joints.  It  may  be  lamb  founder;  but  in 
early  spring  is  apt  to  be  caused  by  lambs  lying  on  cold,  damp 
ground.  Keep  yards  well  bedded  with  corn  stalks  or  other 
roughage,  so  lambs  cannot  lie  on  bare  ground. 

Scours — See  Diarrhea. 

Scab — Use  any  of  the  standard  dips  as  directed. 

Sore  Mouth — Rub  scab  off  and  apply  a  non-poisonous  carbolic  sheep 
dip.  Powdered  burnt  alum  is  also  effective  where  it  can  be 
made  to  remain  on.  The  seat  of  this  trouble  makes  it  difficult 
to  apply  remedies.  It  will,  however,  usually  disappear  of  its- 
elf. 


Sore  Eyes — Cleanse  with  warm  water  and  drop  little  witch-hazel  in 
and  around  eyes. 

Scum  on  Eyes — Usually  will  disappear  without  treatment.  Intro- 
duction of  any  substance  to  cut  the  scum  is  cruel  practice  of 
very  doubtful  necessity.  Relief  can  be  given  by  washing  as 
for  sore  eyes. 

Snotty  Nose — A  symptom  of  grub  in  the  head  or  a  bad  cold.  For 
treatment  see  both  these  headings. 

Swelling  Under  the  Jaw — This  is  not  a  disease,  but  the  symptom  of 
several  ailments.  Often  it  accompanies  an  anaemic  condition. 
For  general  treatment  see  Paper  Skin. 


j 35 

Scanty  Urine — Rams  and  wethers  may  have  trouble  in  making 
water.  Give  from  one-half  to  one  ounce  sweet  spirits  of  nitre; 
put  pinch  of  powdered  salt-petre  in  feed  for  several  days.  Do 
not  feed  mangels. 

Stone  in  the  Bladder — This  is  another  ailment  of  lambs  and  weath- 
ers. Like  goitre  it  seems  to  be  largely  confined  to  certain  sec- 
tions of  country.  There  is  no  positive  cure  for  this  ailment. 
Mangels  cause  it,  and  aggrevate  mild  cases,  so  they  should  not 
be  fed  in  any  great  quantity. 

Stomach  Worms — There  are  many  kinds  of  stomach  worms.  Usu- 
ally though  the  term  is  applied  to  the  strongylus  contortus, 
among  lambs,  one  of,  if  not  the  most  fatal  of  all  internal  para- 
sites. An  effective  remedy  is  benzine  or  gasoline  given  in 
sweet  milk  for  three  consecutive  days.  A  dose  is  from  tea- 
spoonful  to  tablespoonful  according  to  age  of  lamb.  Add  to 
each  dose  about  half  glass  of  sweet  milk.  Shake  well  together. 
Shut  lambs  up  over  night  so  as  to  give  on  empty  stomach. 
Have  assistant  set  lamb  on  rump  when  you  give  the  medicine. 
And  be  sure  he  holds  head  in  natural  position  for  the  posture, 
otherwise  strangulation  may  result.  See  chapter  on  Parasites. 

Ticks — Use  any  of  the  standard  dips  as  directed. 

Tape  Worm — At  times  and  in  some  localities  this  worm  proves  very 
destructive.  Ordinarily  though  a  few  tape  worms  seem  to  be 
a  necessary  accompaniment  of  a  lamb's  growth  and  do  no  harm. 
If  numerous  they  can  be  expelled  with  any  recognized  vermifuge, 
such  as  powdered  araca  nut  in  one  to  two  dram  doses  on  empty 
stomach.  Follow  in  -from  twelve  to  twenty-four  hours  with  a 
cathartic.  Pumpkins  are  good,  as  the  seeds  act  as  vermifuge. 


LAMB  FOUNDER. 

There  is  a  peculiar  disease  of 
lambs  that  causes  them  to  become 
very  stiff  in  their  joints.  It  may 
attack  one  joint  or  all  the  limbs 
may  be  affected.  They  lie  around 
a  great  deal  and  move  painfully. 
They  seldom  die  but  are  checked 
sadly  in  their  development.  The 
cause  of  this  distressing  ailment  is 
to  be  sought  in  the  ewe.  She  has 
been  unwisely  fed.  Most  probab- 
ly she  has  been  allowed  to  gorge 
herself  on  grain,  or  her  feed  has 
been  changed  abruptly  from  a  light 
ration  to  a  heavy  one.  This  cre- 
ates indigestion  and  a  peculiar  poi- 
son in  her  system  that  shows  itself 
most  in  the  lamb.  There  is  no 

The  Lambs  so  Gentle  the  Girls  Pet  Tnem.         CUTC  but  time,   and  ail   avoidance  of 

the  contributing  causes.  So  far  as  we  have  observed  a  high  feeding 
of  corn  is  most  apt  to  cause  this  disorder. 

While  the  suckling  ewe  should  be  well  and  even  highly  fed  she 
should  never  be  changed  suddenly  from  a  light  ration  to  a  heavy 
one  nor  should  she  ever  have  a  large  allowance  of  corn. 

BROKEN     HORNS 

may  cause  the  death  of  the  lamb.  Sometimes  a  sort  of  blood-poison 
sets  in  that  causes  the  head  to  swell  so  that  the  eyes  are  even 
swelled  shut.  There  is  no  help  for  it  but  time  after  the  infection 
has  occurred  but  if  at  once  when  the  horn  is  noticed  to  be  broken 
the  stub  be  smeared  with  some  carbolic  sheep  dip  there  will  be  no 
infection  and  no  bad  results.  One  should  plan  his  pen  so  far  as 
possible  to  be  tight  and  smooth  so  as  not  to  catch  and  break  the 
horns  which  are  very  tender  at  a  certain  stage  of  development. 

DOCKING    TAILS. 

There  is  but  one  right  way  to  dock  tails,  that  is  with  the  dock- 


37 


ing  pinchers  made  by  F.  S.  Burch,  178 
Michigan  Street,  Chicago,  111.  These 
iron  pinchers  are  heated  to  redness  and 
the  tails  severed,  no  bleeding  occurs  and 
the  tails  may  be  made  very  short.  This 
is  best  done  at  about  ten  days  of  age. 
If  there  are  flies  a  smear  of  tar  or  sheep 
dip  will  deter  them  until  the  wound  is 
headed.  It  heals  very  quickly  when  the 
pinchers  are  used.  Take  a  board  six 
inches  square,  bore  an  inch  hole  through 
the  middle  of  it,  thrust  the  tail  through 

this  hole  and  cut  as  close  as  you  can.     The  board  holds  the  tail  and 

prevents  scorching  the  lamb. 

CASTRATION. 

For  the  winter  market  to  go  from  their  mother's  sides  it  does 
not  much  matter  whether  the  lambs  are  castrated  or  not.  Some 
growers  always  castrate,  others  never  do.  It  is  probable  that  if  the 
castration  is  done  carefully  and  soon  enough  the  lamb  may  fatten 
faster  than  if  his  testicles  were  left  in.  The  castration  of  lambs  a 
week  old  or  less  is  a  simple  matter,  the  end  of  the  scrotum  is  cut 
off,  the  testicles  drawn  out,  cord  and  all,  a  little  lard  and  turpentine 
placed  in  the  wound  and  in  a  short  time  the  wound  is  healed. 

Later  in  the  season  when  ram  lambs  have  been  let  go  and  some 
have  turned  out  badly  and  are  not  fit  for  breeding  rams  they  are 
hard  to  castrate  without  loss  but  the  docking  pinchers  may  be  used 
again,  taking  off  the  entire  scrotum  as  you  would  dock  the  tail.  I 
have  never  seen  ill  results  follow  this  operation  and  have  castrated 
rams  six  years  old  in  this  manner.  Care  should  be  observed  to 
the  have  pinchers  quite  hot. 

SORE  MOUTH. 

There  is  a  contagious  sore  mouth  that  affects  lambs  and  some- 
times sheep.  Warty  scabs  form  on  the  lips  and  nose  making  it  dif- 
ficult for  the  lambs  to  eat.  Similar  sores  appear  on  the  ewe's  teats. 
The  cure  is  simple,  rub  off  the  scales  and  apply  some  carbolic  sheep 
dip.  Milk-oil,  made  by  F.  S.  Burch,  178  Michigan  Street,  Chicago, 


38 

has  proved  effective  in  the  experience  of  the  writer  and  one  applica- 
tion has  always  been  sufficient.  There  is  another  form  of  this  sore 
mouth,  that  is  confined  to  the  lambs.  It  is  more  difficult  to  cure; 
but  after  running  its  course  will  quickly  disappear. 

SORE    EYES 

The  contagious  sore  eyes  that  sometimes  appears  among  the 
flock  in  Winter  is  also  easily  and  quickly  cured  by  a  tiny  drop  of 
sheep  dip  dropped  in  the  eye.  It  should  be  diluted  about  ten  times 
with  water  and  not  only  a  little  allowed  to  penetrate  the  eye  but 
the  face  should  be  scrubbed  with  it  especially  wherever  the  tears 
have  run  down  the  cheeks.  There  is  no  excuse  for  allowing  these 


A  GRADE  "RENT  PAYER." 

and  similar  petty  diseases  to  spread  and  become  formidable,  a  little 
watchful  care,  a  little  disinfecting  with  a  carbolic  dip  and  the  disease 
is  cured  and  its  spread  stopped.  Milk-oil,  or  some  similar  carbolic 
preparation  should  always  be  at  hand  in  a  bottle,  or  better,  an  oil- 
can on  a  shelf  in  the  sheep  barn. 

INTERNAL     PARASITES. 

Would  it  were  as  easy  to  keep  the  inside  of  a  sheep  clean  as 
the  outside.  Unfortunately  this  is  not  so.  Sheep  suffer  greatly 
from  a  number  of  internal  parasites  but  in  America  the  chief  and  al- 
most only  important  one  is  the  tiny  stomach-worm.  The  lambs 
that  are  dropped  in  fall  and  kept  on  clean  pastures  until  cold  weath- 
er are  seldom  troubled  with  these  pests,  the  lambs  dropped  early  in 


___ 39 

winter  and  fattened  and  sold  before  June  are  safe  but  the  late  lambs 
that  must  run  with  their  mothers  on  grass  are  apt  to  become  affect- 
ed. The  symptoms  are  a  general  lack  of  thrift,  a  sunken  condition 
of  the  fleece,  a  paleness  of  the  skin,  the  eating  of  earth  and  rotten 
wood,  a  slight  cough,  sometimes  scours,  at  other  times  constipation, 
emaciation  and  often  death. 

One  should  never  see  a  lamb  die  on  his  place  without  dissect- 
ing it  to  learn  the  cause.  If  it  is  stomach-worms  they  may  be  easi- 
ly found  in  the  small  fourth  stomach,  the  place  where  the  intestines 
begin.  Stomach-worms  are  small,  hair-like  worms,  about  three- 
fourths  of  an  inch  long,  twisted  in  the  middle,  from  which  they  take 
their  name,  Strongylus  Contortus.  They  may  be  present  in  sheep 
having  apparent  good  health,  they  may  even  in  small  numbers  dis- 
tress the  lambs,  they  may  be  found  in  immense  multitudes,  block- 
ing the  intestinal  canal.  They  seem  to  greatly  disturb  the  digestion 
and  assimilation  and  no  lamb  will  thrive  with  these  pests  within 
him. 

The  infection  is  nearly  always  from  the  grass  or  from  stagnant 
water  fouled  by  sheep's  excrements.  The  ewes  are  apt  to  be 
slightly  affected,  the  worms  discharge  immense  numbers  of  eggs, 
perhaps  at  all  seasons,  certainly  in  spring  and  summer.  The  imma- 
ture worms  in  some  way  cling  to  the  grass  and  are  taken  in  by  the 
lambs  when  grazing.  In  some  mysterious  way  nature  aids  the  old- 
er and  stronger  sheep  to  throw  off  most  of  these  pests,  while  the 
smaller  and  weaker  lambs  become  affected  very  easily.  The  lesson 
is  that  all  small,  grassy  yards,  where  sheep  love  to  He  and  where 
the  grass  is  thick  and  tender,  are  unsafe,  almost  surely  fatal  to  the 
lambs.  Unfortunately  the  short,  sweet  grasses,  such  as  Kentucky 
blue-grass  and  white  clover  are  the  very  worst  and  most  dangerous 
from  the  point  of  infection,  as  the  sheep  bite  them  so  close.  Red 
clover,  alfalfa,  orchard  grass,  bromus-inermis,  timothy,  oats  and 
barley  and  rape,  are  all  bitten  higher  up  and  there  is  much  less  risk 
of  infection.  Also  in  soiling  sheep  there  is  hardly  any  danger  if  the 
racks  are  not  soiled  by  the  sheep's  excrements.  On  Woodland 
Farm  there  has  been  a  notable  decrease,  almost  a  disappearance  of 
this  pest  since  alfalfa  pasture  has  been  the  main  reliance.  It  is  also 
a  good  plan  to  let  the  sheep  shade  in  the  barn,  as  than  their  drop- 


40  

pings  are  not  soiling  the  grass  about  some  shady  tree,  where  the 
grass  will  grow  up  rank  and  sweet  and  be  nibbled  at  by  the  unsus- 
pecting lambs  with  fatal  results.  Care  should  at  all  times  be  taken 
that  the  sheep  should  not  drink  from  stagnant  pools  or  small,  slow 
streams  fouled  by  the  droppings.  Troughs  are  much  the  safest 
watering  places,  and  they  should  be  kept  clean. 

As  to  medication,  it  should  be  prompt  upon  the  first  sign  of  in- 
fection. The  old  remedy  of  turpentine  and  milk  is  rarely  effectual. 
It  is  not  worth  administering.  The  only  things  that  have  seemed  to 
do  good  are  Toxaline,  a  preparation  made  by  F.  S.  Burch,  of  Chica- 


Dorset  and  Shrop  Blood  Mingled. 

go,  and  gasoline  or  benzine,  which  was  discovered  by  M.  Julienne, 
in  France  and  first  introduced  by  us  into  America.  In  case  infec- 
tion is  discovered  it  is  wise  to  treat  the  entire  flock.  Be  careful  not 
to  strangle  the  sheep  by  rough  or  too  hasty  drenching. 

Either  benzine  or  gasoline  may  be  used.  The  dose  is  two  tea- 
spoonfuls  to  a  5olb  lamb,  mixed  with  four  ounces  of  either  sweet 
milk  or  thin  flax-seed  tea,  (cold)  well  shaken  together.  Give  after 
fasting  for  16  hours.  Be  careful  not  to  strangle  by  pouring  down  too 
fast  or  getting  in  wind-pipe.  Repeat  the  dose  daily  for  three  days. 
It  has  no  ill  effects  on  the  health  of  well  lambs  and  is  sure  to  rem- 
edy the  drooping  ones,  if  stomach-worms  are  the  cause  of  their  ill- 
ness. Dose  the  old  sheep  as  well.  They  will  take  a  tablespoonful. 
Better  to  use  a  5c  measuring  glass  (sold  at  druggists)  rather  than 
try  to  measure  in  a  spoon,  which  holds  an  uncertain  amount. 


GRADE    DORSET    EWES, 

While  pure-bred  Dorsets  are  extremely  profitable  to  those  who 
will  give  their  care  and  while  there  must  of  course  be  breeders  of 
registered  stock  to  supply  the  need  of  Dorset  rams,  yet  it  must  be 
remembered  that  the  grade  ewe  is  the  rent-payer,  the  money-maker, 
and  in  commou  hands  more  profitable  than  the  puru-bred  ewe.  In- 
deed there  are  some  curious  things  about  the  grade  ewe.  If  she  is 
a  Merino  grade,  from  large,  roomy  Merino  ewes  and  blocky,  vigor- 
ous Dorset  ram;  she  will  arove  a  snrer  breeder  if  pcssible,  than  the 
pure-bred  Dorset  ewe.  In  truth,  not  many  growers  of  winter  hot- 
house lambs  but  prefer  Dorset  grades  from  the  Merina  foundation  to 
any  other  ewe,  the  pure-bred  ewe  not  excepted.  These  ewes  are 
again  bred  to  pure-bred  Dorset  rams  and  the  result  is  a  very  blocky, 
easily  fattened  lamb,  born  at  the  right  season  and  ripe  for  the  right 
market.  These  grade  ewes  are  great  milkers  and  hardier  than  pure- 
bred ewes  and  altogether  more  desirable  for  mutton-makers.  There 
will  come  a  time  when  rancbe-men  will  make  a  specialty  of  produc- 
ing ewes  of  this  type,  as  there  is  already  a  demand  for  them  in  all 
ths  early  lamb-producing  regions  and  they  are  hard  to  buy.  These 
grade  Dorset  ewes  will  continue  profitable  for  at  least  ten  years  and 
often  longer. 

Another  very  profitable  grade  Dorset  ewe  is  the  Dorset-Shrop- 
shire grade.  This  is  a  magnificeat  ewe,  lambs  early  but  not  quite 
so  regularly  as  the  Dorses-Merino,  is  a  better  mother  than  the  Shrop- 
shire with  more  milk.  Ewes  of  this  cross  are  becoming  quite  com- 
mon now..  They  are  usually  white  or  light  brown  in  face  and  horn- 
less. Sometimes  the  ^ -blood  Dorset-Shropshire  have  horns.  These 
are  better  ewes  than  the  first  cross,  having  indeed  many  of  the  best 
characteristics  of  the  pure-bred  Dorsets. 

USING    GRADE  RAMS 

However  profitable  grade  ewes  may  be  it  is  never  safe  to  use 
grade  rams.  They  will  revert  in  unaccountable  ways  to  remote  an- 
cestors and  there  is  simply  no  telling  what  the  product  will  be. 

Of  grade  Dorsets  John  B.  Peelle,  a  famous  hot-house  lamb 
grower,  says : 

"The  grade  Dorset  with  me  is  not  a  question  of  sentiment;  but 


one  of  business.  The  questions  I  ask  of  a  ewe  are:  Can  you  pro- 
duce lambs  in  November  or  December?  Can  you  produce  one  or 
more  at  a  time?  Can  you  provide  the  lambs  with  an  abundance  of 
milk,  so  that  they  will  be  ready  for  market  in  sixty  or  seventy  days? 
It  is  only  the  ewe  that  can  answer  all  these  questions  "yes"  that  is 
at  all  desirable  as  a  mother  of  hot-house  lambs. 

The  first  question  is  most  important  of  all.  The  best  and  only 
remunerative  market  for  hot-house  lambs  is  during  the  first  ten 
weeks  of  the  year,  so  the  lambs  must  be  here  before  the  snow  flies 


J:>hn  B.  Pcelle's  Man  Utilizing  Spare  Milk  After  Her 
Lamb  Has  Gone  to  Market . 

if  we  want  large  profits.  The  October  lamb  is  too  early  and  will 
only  sell  as  a  lamb  and  not  as  a  fancy  product  and  the  late  January 
and  February  lambs  are  too  late  in  the  season  for  the  high  prices. 
So  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  learn  the  Dosets  and  their  grades 
are  the  only  breed  of  sheep  that  will  breed  with  any  reliability  at 
the  right  time.  The  hot  weather  that  causes  most  sheep  to  miss 
the  oestrual  perioJ  does  not  seem  to  affe:t  the  Dorsets.  In  fact 
the  mating  often  occurs  during  the  hottest  of  hot  weather.  Twenty- 


> 43 

four  lambs  is  the  record  of  one  of  our  Dorset  rams  on  one  of  the  hot- 
test of  June  days  and  this  occurred  in  a  flock  of  fifty  ewes. 

It  is  not  claimed  that  no  other  variety  of  sheep  will  breed  in  hot 
weather,  but  that  the  Dorsets  will  breed  more  readily  and  uniformly 
than  any  other.  If  the  lambs  come  scattering  along  all  winter  they 
are  a  constant  care  and  worry,  but  when  they  come  in  a  shower  as 
ours  usually  do,  it  is  a  pleasure  to  care  for  them. 

In  regard  to  the  number  of  lambs  produced,  single  lambs  from 
mature  ewes  are  the  exception.  Triplets  are  common.  Thomas 
Shaw  says:  "The  Dorsets  will  probably  drop  and  raise  more  lambs 
than  any  other  breed." 

As  Milkers — The  Dorset  or  grade  always  has  an  abundance  of 
milk.  Some  are  such  persistent  milkers  that  it  takes  several  weeks 
to  dry  them  up,  but  this  is  a  good  thing  for  pets  and  thieves  (see  cut 
opposite  page.)  It  is  easy  to  teach  the  lambs  whose  supply  is  short, 
to  come  at  the  call.  I  mean  the  twins,  triplets,  and  those  whose 
mothers  are  out  of  condition,  and  then  while  you  hold  the  ewe  the 
lambs  do  the  rest.  Often  the  best  milking  ewes  can  be  made  to 
raise  another  lamb  after  her  own  goes  to  market. 

Recapitulation — The  virtues  of  the  grade  Dorset  may  be  sum- 
med up  as  follows:  She  has  size  and  that  counts  when  she  is  put 
on  the  market  as  mutton.  She  has  constitution  and  vigor  and  that 
means  long  life  and  lots  of  service.  A  nine-year-old  gummer  rais- 
ed the  best  part  of  lambs  we  had  this  year.  It  is  no  burden  to  shell 
corn  for  her.  She  is  a  good  rustler.  One  season's  experience 
showed  us  that  the  Dorsets  and  Merinos  have  no  business  in  the 
same  barn.  The  Merinos  simply  had  no  show  in  the  rush  for  feed. 
She  will  produce  her  lambs  at  the  proper  time  for  them  to  reach  the 
market  when  prices  are  highest.  She  is  a  fluent  milker,  the  more 
milk  the  quicker  the  lamb  goes  to  market.  Our  best  ewes,  if  per- 
chance, they  have  single  lambs,  will  have  them  ready  for  market 
in  less  than  fifty  days." 


44 


BUILDINGS. 


One  can  do  with  a  very  common  and  cheap  building  or  he  can 
use  a  good,  warm,  convenient  building  to  good  advantage.  The 
more  expensive  buildings  are  needed  in  the  cold,  frozen  North,  in 
the  South  very  slight  protection  against  cold  is  needed  but  wet  is  to 
be  guarded  against.  A  safe  rule  is  NEVER  to  allow  the  flock  to  suf- 
fer a  wetting,  unless  the  wool  is  very  short  at  the  time.  It  is  a  very 
depressing  thing  to  a  sheep  to  carry  about  a  wet  fleece,  and  unfor- 
tunately not  all  or  many  sheep  know  enough  to  come  in  out  of  the 
rain.  The  illustration  of  the  barn  at  Woodland  Farm  (page  10) 
shows  one  type  well  adapted  to  a  Southern  situation.  The  barn  is 
36  feet  square,  18  feet  to  the  eaves,  with  a  half-pitch  roof  and  an 
open  center.  The  lower  story  is  8  feet  in  the  clear  and  divided  by 
means  of  racks  into  compartments  as  desired.  It  will  be  seen  that 
it  is  light  and  airy  and  cool  in  summer  and  when  the  doors  are  let 
down  it  is  fairly  warm  in  winter.  This  barn  cost  to  build  less  than 
$200.00  with  a  good  shingle  roof,  no  floor  but  natural  earth  below 
and  rough  flooring  for  the  mow.  It  accommodates  fairly  well  about 
75  ewes  and  their  lambs.  The  hay  is  taken  in  from  the  end  and  the 
open  dorway  is  turned  to  the  south-east  so  that  little  or  no  storm 
ever  blows  in.  It  could  easily  be  closed,  however. 


noasi 

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l*r,e    cmiP 

T=T 


PLAN   OF   BARN    AT   FILLMORE    FARMS. 


45 


THE    BARN    AT    PILLMORE    FARMS. 


Fillmore  Farms,  (W.  G.  Appleby,  Manager,  Bennington,  Vt.) 
Mr.  delegate's  place  has  an  ideal  large  barn  for  cool  climate.  The 
ground  plan  shows  quite  clearly  the  arrangement  of  the  lower  story, 


45x100  feet.  This  barn  shuts  up  tight  in  cold  weather,  four  venti- 
lation shafts  run  up  the  purlin  posts  and  then  to  cupolas,  taking  off 
the  foul  air  and  not  making  drafts.  The  outer  doors  slide  and  there 


46 


are  slatted  doors  that  also  slide  up  out  of  the  way,  when  it  is  warm 
the  solid  doors  are  back  and  the  slatted  ones  in  place.  The  root 
house  is  not  a  cellar,  though  dug  down  the  depth  of  the  foundation, 
but  is  double  boarded  with  paper  between  and  two  air  spaces  and 
is  frost  proof.  It  is  convenient  to  store  wool  in  and  the  feed  room  is 
a  good  shearing  floor.  The  passage  is  a  handy  place  to  pen  and 
catch  sheep  when  shearing. 

The  feed  racks  used  on  Fillmore  Farms,  the  Tranquillity  Farms 


DIAGRAM    OF    COMBINATION    FEEDER. 

and  some  other  places  are  illustrated  herewith.  There  is  probably 
nothing  better  for  Dorsets  as  the  lambs  can  not  soil  the  hay  nor 
are  horns  broken  in  this  rack.  Here  are  the  specifications: 

Trough  is   6  inches   wide   at   bottom — 14  inches  at  top,    on  slant. 

Trough  is  7  inches  high  at  front — 1 1  inches  at  back. 

Slats  2  inches  wide,  i  inch  thick,  rounded  slightly  at  corners. 

Spaces  between  slats  3  inches. 

Slanting  board  at  bottom  of  rack  i  inch  thick. 


Slats  are  of  hard  wood;  rest  of  trough  may  be  soft  wood  or  not,  ac- 
cording to  price,  etc. 

Front  board  of  trough  is  beveled  at  top. 

Frame  2x3  or  3x3. 

Trough  may  be  made  any  length  to  fit  spaces,  or  in  8,  10  or  12  foot 
lengths  to  be  easily  moved  around  and  back  to  back  they 
make  partition  with  feed  trough  and  rack  on  each  side.  Or 
can  be  put  out  doors  and  make  yard  with  rack,  etc. 

Cheapest  in  end.  Last  forever.  No  waste  hay.  Feed  roots, 
grain  or  anything  without  loss. 


COMBINATION  FEEDER. 


48 


The  Ideal  Low-Cost  Sheep  House. 

For  the  following  plan  we  are  indebted  to  the  Breeder's  Gazette 
where  it  is  illustrated  in  issue  of  April   10,  1901.     It  combines  low 


OQ 


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49 


cost  with  convenience  and  usefulness  of  high  order.  The  building 
is  20  feet  wide,  as  long  as  desired,  16  feet  high  at  the  eaves  with  a 
lower  story  eight  feet  in  the  clear  and  an  upper  story  with  half-pitch 


roof  and  15  feet  in  height  at  the  peak.  There  are  no  obstructing 
cross-ties  and  the  hay  carrier  works  on  the  track  in  the  peak  with- 
out hindrance.  The  floor  joists  are  put  in  length-ways  of  the  build- 


ing  and  are  of  2x8  or  2x10  while  the  joist-bearers  are  2x16  and  the 
manner  of  spiking  through  the  joist-bearers  into  the  ends  of  the  floor- 
joists  making  the  upper  edges  flush  saves  quite  a  good  deal  of  head 
room.  This  is  clearly  illustrated  in  the  cut,  the  floor  joists  are  spik- 
ed to  the  joist-bearers  before  it  is  let  down  to  place,  then  all  is  firmly 
spiked  together.  No  floor  is  used  but  the  hard  earth  which  is  better 
if  rounded  up  a  little  so  that  water  will  run  away  from  all  sides  and 
a  generous  projection  of  rafters  helps  the  appearance  and  the  use- 
fulness materially.  There  are  no  divisions  to  the  house  except  such 
as  are  made  by  the  placing  of  racks  or  panels  across.  Hay  is  thrown 
down  at  convenient  places  through  chutes  reaching  up  to  the  rafters 
and  at  the  bottom  a  pen  of  hurdles  should  restrain  the  sheep  from 
getting  on  the  hay  as  it  is  thrown  down. 


HOW  THE  SASH 
OPEN5.ANP 
JHl/TS 


Device  for  Opening   Sash- 
Ideal  Sheep  House. 


Putting  in  Floor  Joists— Ideal  Sheep  House. 


At  each  side  there  is  a  continuous  window  three  feet  high  with 
sash  and  glass  hinged  at  the  bottom  and  opening  inwardly  so  as  to 
allow  a  continuous  stream  of  air  to  pass  over  the  sheep.  These  sash 
are  fastened  by  means  of  a  jointed  rod  to  a  continuous  rod  running 
through  the  barn,  the  familiar  green-house  sash  fixtures,  and  by 
turning  the  rod  all  the  sash  are  opened  at  once,  either  a  tiny  crack 
or  wide  to  let  the  summer  breezes  through.  While  this  feature  may 
be  omitte  1  and  wooden  windows  opening  at  the  bottom  and  hinged 
at  the  top  be  substituted,  yet  I  think  the  satisfaction  of  having  it 
right  will  in  a  short  time  pay  for  the  sash  and  fixtures,  which  may 
be  had  of  any  builder  of  green-houses. 

Doors  permit  the  driving  of  teams  clear  through  the  building  to 
clean  out  the  manure  and  the  over-hang  of  the  roof  protects  the  up- 
per doorway  through  which  hay  is  taken.  This  building  finished 
well  2OxCo  should  cost  about  $300.00. 


Dorsets  for  Crossing  a^nd  on  the  R&nge. 

While  the  down  ram  on  the  Dorset  ewe  gets  fine  lambs  yet  the 
reverse  cross  is  as  good,  Dorset  sire  on  Down  ewe.  The  lambs  of 
this  cross  grow  very  rapidly  and  fatten  very  easily  and  are  usually 
hornless  with  white  or  gray  faces.  A  neighbor  who  used  one  of  our 
Dorset  rams  on  pure-bred  Shropshire  ewes  lambed  in  May,  sold  the 
lambs  before  Christmas  at  115  pounds  average  weight,  from  grass 
with  a  trifle  of  grain  at  the  latter  end  of  their  feeding. 

On  the  range  the  Dorset  is  "new  yet  but  wherever  tried  the 
lambs,  usually  from  grade  Merino  ewes,  have  been  more  than  satis- 
factory. In  Colorado,  L.  E.  Thompson,  of  Las  Animas,  reports  that 
his  grade  Dorset  lambs  are  first  to  become  fat  and  go  to  market. 


PRIZE   WINNERS    AT   THE    ROYAL.        DORSET-SHROPSHIRE    CROSS    BREDS. 

They  are  in  demand  among  Colorado  lamb  feeders,  wherever  they 
have  become  known.  The  Range  Valley  Cattle  Co.,  of  Woodside, 
Utah,  has  this  season  a  lot  of  grade  Dorset  lambs,  in  comparison 
with  lambs  from  Shropshire  and  Rambouillet  sires.  The  Dorsets 
are  much  the  most  blocky,  smooth  and  heaviest,  the  best  sellers. 
There  is  need,  however,  of  care  in  taking  Dorset  rams  to  the  ranges, 
they  ought  to  be  young,  they  ought  to  be  sent  to  the  "buck  herd" 
at  least  a  month  before  needed  to  get  accustomed  to  range  life.  It 
would  even  be  better  if  they  were  grown  on  the  range.  There  is 
no  sheep  such  a  rustler  as  the  Dorset  and  this  makes  him  pre-emi- 
nently suited  to  range  conditions.  The  ranche  that  is  marketing 
feeders  or  fat  lambs  can  not  afford  to  overlook  the  Dorset. 


__ ^ _ _55 

AS  THE  EWE  LAMBS 

it  is  well  to  have  some  close  pens  for  use  in  cold  weather,  these  may 
be  made  of  matched  lumber  six  or  eight  feet  square  and  a  very  little 
ventilation  will  suffice.  By  putting  a  ewe  in  here  and  hanging  up  a 
lantern  above  her,  her  lamb  will  not  chill  in  the  coldest  night.  Some- 
times one  can  tell  when  a  ewe  is  about  to  lamb  and  separate  her 
from  the  flock.  This  is  not  always  practicable,  however,  for  many 
ewes  will  apparently  be  all  ready  for  weeks  and  others  that  have 
made  little  show  will  lamb  before  them.  Let  them  alone  at  lamb- 
ing time,  yet  keep  near  by  and  watch  them.  If  they  have  not  been 
frightened  by  dogs  or  crowded  through  gates  they  may  not  have 
wrong  presentations  and  the  lambing  give  no  trouble,  especially  if 
the  ewes  are  strong  but  not  too  fat  and  have  had  plenty  of  out-door 
exercise  is  the  danger  of  trouble  lessened.  Yet  now  and  then  a  lamb 
will  be  presented  wrong  and  your  help  will  be  needed.  The  right 
presentation  is  head  first,  front  feet  on  each  side.  Hind  feet  first  can 
be  taken  with  no  harm  to  lamb  or  ewe.  Other  presentations  must 
be  straightened  out.  Don't  wait  too  long  to  do  this,  be  slow,  care- 
ful, think  what  you  are  doing,  use  plenty  of  lard  on  your  hand  you 
may  save  a  valuable  ewe  and  her  lamb  too. 

A    CHILLED    LAMB 

will  be  found  now  and  then.  If  it  is  too  stiff  to  suck  take  it  at  once 
to  a  large  bucket  of  hot  water,  not  warm  water,  but  hot  as  you  can 
bear  your  hand  in.  Immerse  him  all  but  his  nose.  Put  in  more  hot 
water  after  he  has  cooled  it  off.  I  have  revived  them  after  they 
were  apparently  dead.  Dry  thoroughly,  perhaps  give  a  wee  drop 
of  whiskey,  then  the  mother's  milk.  Don't  ever  give  anything  but 
the  mother's  milk  if  you  can  avoid  it.  If  you  must  give  cow's  milk 
dilute  it  half  with  warm  water  and  add  a  tiny  bit  of  sugar.  A  lamb 
that  can't  have  a  good  lot  of  some  ewe's  first  milk  is  not  apt  to  live. 

Another  handy  thing  for  lambs  not  so  badly  chilled  is  a  half 
barrel  with  a  lantern  or  jug  of  hot  water  in  it  and  a  blanket  thrown 
across  it.  When  the  ewe  has  twins  you  can  keep  one  warm  while 
she  is  licking  off  its  mate.  Once  dry  and  full  of  milk  there  is  not 
much  danger  of  chilling  in  the  most  severe  weather. 

In  lambing  a  lot  of  ewes  in  cold  weather  one  loses  very  few 
lambs  if  he  will  go  to  the  fold  at  10  in  the  evening  and  again  at  4  in 


56 

the  morning.  If  the  lambs  are  sired  by  a  vigorous  ram,  the  ewes 
treated  right,  not  one  lamb  in  ten  will  need  your  attention  or  help. 
First  lambs  are  often  more  trouble.  But  remember,  ALWAYS  milk 
out  the  ewe  after  the  lamb  has  filled  up  and  do  this  not  once  but 
daily  for  a  week  if  she  has  surplus  milk.  Stagnant  milk  in  a  gorged 
udder  is  surely  fatal  to  the  lamb.  And  Dorset  ewes,  if  rightly  fed 
are  great  milkers.  It  is  more  trouble  at  first  but  when  the  lamb 
does  take  it  what  a  pleasure  to  see  him  swell  and  grow! 

If  you  have  a  large  number  of  ewes  to  lamb  in  winter  you 
should  provide  a  lot  of  pens,  about  four  or  six  feet  square.  These 
are  best  made  of  little  panels  three  feet  high  and  four  feet  long, 
hinge  two  of  them  together  at  one  end  and  then  they  shut  up  and 
lay  away  until  needed  when  they  are  opened  out  and  hooked  to  the 


L 


Panels  Opened  •  To  Make   Pen. 


corner  of  the  barn,  enclosing  a  space  four  or  six  feet  square.  An- 
other pen  goes  alongside  and  so  on  as  there  is  need.  Ewes  with 
twin  lambs  ought  always  to  have  one  of  these  pens  to  keep  her  fam- 
ily together  until  they  know  her. 

TRANSFERRING  LAMBS 

Supposing  you  have  a  ewe  that  loses  her  young  lamb,  you 
should  at  once  remove  its  skin,  taking  it  off  as  near  whole  as  you 
can,  rub  it  dry  on  the  flesh  side  and  sprinkle  it  with  salt,  take  a 
twin  lamb  that  needs  more  milk  and  slip  it  into  this  skin,  put  the 
ewe  and  odd  lamb  in  a  pen  together  and  the  chances  are  mighty 
good  that  she  will  adopt  the  stranger  with  joy.  After  a  few  days 
the  skin  may  be  removed,  though  it  is  well  to  take  it  off  a  piece  at  a 
time. 

If  the  ewe  has  a  large  lamb  to  die  this  plan  may  not  work,  but 
to  put  her  in  a  pen  and  confine  her  head  between  stanchions,  which 
may  be  two  small  round  stakes  driven  into  the  earth  and  confined 
at  the  top  with  a  cord  will  be  the  surest  and  easiest  plan.  Turn  the 
lamb  with  her,  she  can  not  refuse  to  let  it  suck,  after  a  time  when 
her  milk  has  given  it  a  new  odor  she  will  own  it.  This  takes  from 
two  days  to  a  week. 

ALWAYS  separate  the  ewes  with  lambs  from  the  ewes  ^yet 
to  lamb.  You  can't  feed  the  same  ration  to  each  lot  with  success. 


57 


THE  WINTER  LAMB 

By  H.  P.  MILLER. 

BOUT  ten  years  ago  1  first  learned  that  a  few  men  in  New 
York  were  raising  what  were  called  ' 'hot-house"  lambs  which 
they  sold  at  what  seemed  to  me  fabulous  prices.  They  were  said 
to  get  eight  to  ten  dollars  each  for  lambs  as  many  weeks  old  when 
hog-dressed  and  sent  to  New  York  City.  I  thought  the  demand  only 
a  passing  one  and  that  the  supply  would  soon  exceed  it,  so  was  slow 
to  engage  in  it.  There  were  other  reasons  for  my  delay.  Dress- 


WOODLAND    DORSETS    ON    ALFALFA. 

ing  them  seemed  to  demand  the  services  of  an  expert.  I  could  dress 
a  sheep  for  our  own  use  but  I  was  not  an  expert  butcher.  Then  the 
distance  from  Central  Ohio  to  New  York  City  seemed  too  great  to 
safely  send  dressed  meat.  Again  I  did  not  see  how  I  could  find  a 
market  for  them.  I  did  not  realize  that  they  were  a  regular  product 
upon  the  provision  market  and  could  be  sold  through  commission 


58 

merchants.  But  the  prices  that  were  obtained  y,ear  after  year  by 
those  engaged  in  growing  this  product,  incited  me  to  read  everything 
1  could  find  about  the  business.  I  found  that  the  market  was  in- 
creasing, that  I  was  only  a  few  hours  from  New  York,  that  some 
commission  merchants  were  as  honorable  as  men  in  other  business. 
I  finally  had  the  whole  theory  but  did  not  have  the  lambs.  We  had 
from  my  earliest  recollection  been  growing  Merinos  of  the  Delaine 
type,  having  the  lambs  born  in  March  and  April.  We  let  a  flock  of 
ewes  run  over  one  fall  without  breeding,  and  turned  the  ram  with 
them  the  following  Spring.  We  found  they  conceived  as  well  in 
May  as  in  October.  Bear  in  mind  our  ewes  at  that  time  were  all 
pure  Merinos  of  the  Delaine  type.  A  further  surprise,  and  one 
quite  as  agreeable,  was  that  the  lambs  born  in  the  fall  grew  more 
rapidly  and  when  sent  to  market  at  three  to  four  months  old  brought 
more  than  lambs  of  the  same  breeding  born  six  to  eight  months  earl- 
ier. Still  we  did  not  get  the  prices  we  had  read  about.  We  used  a 
mutton  sire  of  a  Down  breed,  but  our  lambs  were  not  prime.  The 
lambs  had  too  mnch  wool  before  they  had  size  or  were  fat  enough. 
The  ewes  were  not  good  enough  sucklers,  to  make  the  lambs  choice. 
It  seemed  reasonable  that  the  pure  or  grade  mutton  breeds  would  be 
more  profitable  for  this  business.  We  provided  ourselves  with  small 
flocks  of  three  of  the  leading  mutton  breeds  but  February  with  an 
occasionsl  lamb  in  January  was  as  early  as  we  could  get  lambs  from 
them.  That  was  not  early  enough  for  best  prices. 

One  year  I  tried  twenty-five  young  Merino-Southdown  ewes, 
putting  them  with  an  equal  number  of  pure  Merinos  and  turned  ram 
with  them  in  June.  The  first  lamb  from  the  cross-bred  ewes  was 
dropped  in  March  after  most  of  the  lambs  from  the  Merinos  were 
marketed. 

We  had  before  this  learned  the  merits  of  the  Dorset  and  had  se- 
cured a  ram.  The  half-blood  lambs  pleased  us  in  appearance  and 
in  profits.  The  next  step  was  to  get  some  half-blood  ewes.  We 
have  them,  use  them  and  are  satisfied.  The  Merino-Dorset  ewe  is 
the  right  one  for  growing  winter  lambs. 

May  is  a  favorable  month  with  me  for  breeding.  I  would  pre- 
fer to  breed  a  month  or  six  weeks  later  but  the  ewes  or  ram,  or 
both  are  not  so  favorable  to  it.  I  would  prefer  not  to  have  the  lambs 


59 

born  until  the  ewes  go  to  their  winter  quarters.  The  lambs  then 
entirely  escape  the  stomach  worms  and  they  can  be  gotten  to  eating 
grain  younger.  The  only  special  treatment  I  have  found  necessary 
to  induce  the  ewes  to  breed  is  such  care  as  will  insure  improvement 
in  condition.  They  do  not  need  to  be  fat  but  should  be  GETTING 
fat.  Indeed  1  have  found  it  advisable  to  put  the  ewes  on  a  very 
light,  dry  ration  as  their  lambs  are  slaughtered  so  as  to  reduce  their 
condition.  Then  remove  their  fleeces  with  the  first  settled  warm 
weather  in  April  and  turn  upon  good  pasture. 

I  endorse  the  recommendation  given  on  page  6  in  reference  to 
breeding  but  it  is  hot  always  practical  to  remove  the  ram  every 
morning  and  return  him  to  the  flock  in  the  evening.  You  can 
change  rams  once  a  week,  or  if  rams  are  cheaper  than  your  own 
time  place  two  with  the  flock  at  once.  Jealousy  will  incite  them  to 
watch  the  flock  closely.  This  of  course  is  hard  on  the  rams  and  rec- 
ommended only  as  an  expedient.  At  this  point  re-read  the  chapter 
on  Summer  Care  of  Pregnant  Ewes.  As  the  lambs  appear  remove 
them  with  their  mothers  from  the  main  flock.  With  the  Dorset  and 
grade  Dorset  ewes,  if  they  should  have  but  a  single  lamb  their  ud- 
ders will  need  to  be  watched  for  the  first  week  and  surplus  milk  re- 
moved. There  will  nearly  always  be  some  lambs  in  the  flock  that 
will  need  it  and  will  quickly  learn  to  take  it  as  shown  on  page  42. 
As  soon  as  the  lambs  are  taking  all  their  mother's  milk  feed  the  ewes 
to  produce  all  the  milk  they  will  take.  The  ewes  need  a  milk  cow's 
ration.  So  long  as  the  grass  remains  good  supplement  it  with  corn, 
oats  or  barley  and  wheat  bran.  Or  substitute  for  the  latter  three 
gluten  feed  in  small  quantity.  It  is  worth  about  twice  what  wheat 
bran  is  to  feed  in  connection  with  corn  and  should  be  mixed  with 
corn  in  proportion  of  one  to  two. 

The  lambs  will  begin  to  eat  at  about  three  weeks  of  age,  some 
of  them  younger.  There  is  nothing  they  like  better  than  cracked 
corn  and  wheat  bran.  We  occasionally  add  to  this  combination, 
oats,  barley  or  gluten  meal  or  feed.  A  variety  induces  them  to  eat 
more,  and  the  more  the  better  at  this  early  age.  I  have  never 
known  one  to  over  eat.  We  formerly  used  a  self  feeder,  that  is  a 
trough  so  devised  that  the  feed  becomes  accessible  as  fast  as  eaten, 
but  have  discarded  it  as  the  feed  was  liable  to  become  foul.  We 


6o 


find  the  lambs  do  better  if  the  feed  is  given  them  fresh  in  a  clean 
trough  three  times  a  day.  Nice  clover  hay  is  almost  indispensable 
for  both  ewes  and  lambs.  Alfalfa  or  soy  bean  hay  may  be  substi- 
tuted. The  lambs  must  not  be  compelled  to  eat  their  hay  close. 
It  must  be  changed  three  or  more  times  a  day.  The  little  lambs  as 
well  as  their  mothers  need  to  have  both  salt  and  water  accessible. 
We  have  fed  ensilage  three  winters  with  entire  satisfaction.  Indeed 
we  would  not  think  of  trying  to  raise  winter  lambs  without  it.  It  is 
altogether  the  cheapest  feed  we  can  prepare,  is  relished  perfectly  by 
the  sheep  and  little  lambs  as  well  and  it  makes  fat  lambs.  We  feed 
it  twice  a  day  with  a  little  gluten  meal  sprinkled  over  it.  With  a 
light  feed  of  hay  once  a  day  this  constitutes  the  entire  ration  of  the 
ewes  after  they  go  to  winter  quarters.  Neither  the  ewes  nor  the 
lambs  leave  the  barn  from  the  time  they  enter  it  until  after  the  lambs 
are  slaughtered.  Some  other  nitrogenous  feed  might  be  substituted 
for  the  gluten  meal.  The  determining  consideration  is  the  cost.  The 
term  "hot-house"  formerly  applied  to  these  early  lambs  led  many 
people  to  think  they  must  have  an  artificially  heated  house.  This 
is  not  necessary.  They  need  a  stable  into  which  the  wind  cannot 
blow,  one  with  considerable  glass  on  the  south  and  west  sides.  But 
the  stable  does  not  want  to  be  closed  all  the  time,  only  indeed  upon 
very  cold  days.  Pure  air  is  essential.  If  the  air  is  ever  noticeably 
foul  on  entering  the  stable  from  the  outside  get  some  pure  air  into 
it  at  once.  To  prevent  the  escape  of  ammonia  from  the  accumulating 
manure  there  is  nothing  else  as  effective  as  acidulated  phosphate 
rock,  just  such  as  is  sold  for  fertilizer.  The  free  sulphuric  acid  in  it 
combines  with  the  ammonia  in  a  somewhat  stable  combination,  yet 
one  that  is  available  as  plant  food  so  that  the  fertilizer  is  not  lost. 
Bedding  should  be  used  in  sufficient  quantity  only  to  keep  the  stable 
clean.  Any  excess  encourages  heating.  If  possible  have  the  lambs 
private  apartment  where  they  are  fed  hay  and  grain  so  situated  that 
the  direct  rays  of  the  midday  sun  fall  into  it.  This  should  be  shut 
off  from  the  old  sheep  by  a  creep.  Make  this  of  slats  placed  per- 
pendicularly eight  to  ten  inches  apart.  Let  nothing  disturb  the 
lambs  or  their  mothers.  The  lambs  should  do  nothing  but  eat  and 
sleep,  not  even  play.  During  the  early  part  of  the  season  forty-five 
pounds  live  weight  is  large  enough.  But  weight  is  not  the  only  con- 


6 1 


sideration.  They  must  be  fat.  There  is  a  very  limited  call  for 
them  for  Christmas  dinner  but  the  general  demand  opens  after  peo- 
ple have  recovered  from  the  poultry  glut  of  the  holidays.  The  de- 
mand for  them  continues  strong  unlil  settled  warm  weather. 

Arrangements  should  be  made  with  some  reliable  commission 
firm  unless  fortunate  enough  to  get  a  good  private  customer.  The 
commission  charged  is  five  per  cent.  They  must  be  shipped  to  ar- 
rive at  the  commission  store  as  early  as  Friday  morning.  We  form- 


A  PEN  OF  ROYAL  WINNERS.       (COURTEvSY  FARMER'S  ADVOCATE  ) 

erly  shipped  by  express  at  the  rate  of  $1.50  per  hundred,  but  the 
past  year  they  went  through  in  equally  good  condition  by  refriger- 
ator freight  at  just  half  the  charge. 

The  preparation  for  market  requires  some  skill,  yet  only  such 
as  almost  anyone  can  develop  after  carefully  studying  directions. 
We  have  greatly  simplified  our  method  of  preparation  and  the  lambs 
apparently  sell  as  well. 

It  is  very  important  to  have  them  thoroughly  bled  out.  To  se- 
cure this  we  have  found  it  advantageous  to  suspend  the  lamb  by  the 


62 


hind  feet  in  killing.  Suspend  a  short  single-tree  about  six  feet  from 
the  ground.  Loop  a  small  rope  or  strong  twine  about  each  hind  leg 
and  attach  to  the  hooks  of  the  single  tree.  With  a  sharp  pointed 
knife  sever  the  artery  and  vein  in  the  neck  close  above  the  head. 
Be  sure  to  sever  the  artery.  Bright  red  blood  is  the  assurance.  The 
venous  blood  is  dark.  Severing  the  head  with  a  broad-ax  would 
perhaps  cause  less  suffering  and  insure  a  thorough  bleeding.  I  re- 
move the  head  with  a  knife  as  soon  as  the  lambs  quits  struggling. 
Clip  the  wool  from  the  brisket  and  strip  four  or  five  inches  wide  up- 
ward to  the  udder  or  scrotum,  also  from  between  the  hind  legs  as  in 
tagging  sheep.  Now  open  the  lamb  from  the  tail  to  the  brisket. 
Slit  the  skin  up  the  inside  of  the  hindquarters  about  four  inches  and 
loosen  the  skin  from  the  underlying  muscles  for  two  inches  on  either 
side  of  the  openings  in  the  skin  for  the  attachment  of  the  caul  fat. 
This  should  be  removed  from  the  stomachs  before  they  are  detached 
and  in  very  cold  weather  placed  in  warm  water  until  ready  to  be  used. 
Next  remove  the  stomach  and  intestines.  In  the  early  part  of  the 
season  the  liver,  heart  and  lungs  are  not  removed  but  when  the 
weather  gets  warm  they  must  be.  Carefully  spread  the  caul  fat 
over  all  the  exposed  flesh.  Good  toothpicks  should  be  provided  for 
attaching  it  and  holding  in  place.  Make  small  slits  in  it  over  the 
kidneys  and  pull  them  through.  This  part  of  the  work  is  the  one 
that  requires  skill  to  make  the  carcass  look  attractive.  Now 
hang  it  in  a  cool  place  for  12  to  24  hours.  In  extremely  cold  weath- 
er 12  hours  will  be  enough  but  better  make  24 the  rule.  Then  neat- 
ly sew  a  square  yard  of  clean  muslin  about  each  lamb  so  as  to  cover 
all  exposed  surface.  We  formerly  wrapped  each  one  in  burlap  and 
attached  to  a  stretcher,  but  now  place  three  in  a  light  crate  and  tack 
the  burlap  over  the  top.  We  line  the  crate  with  heavy  paper.  Pre- 
pare them  as  shortly  before  shipping  as  possible.  In  warm  weather 
ice  may  be  put  between  the  lambs,  not  in  them.  Send  them  as 
they  are  ready,  three  or  six  at  a  time.  The  market  varies  greatly, 
depending  upon  weather  and  the  number  arriving.  It  is  useless  to 
try  to  get  them  all  in  on  a  high  market.  Aim  to  slaughter  regularly 
each  week  if  you  have  lambs  in  condition,  and  keep  your  commiss- 
ion firm  informed  as  to  how  many  you  will  probably  send  and  when. 
Attention  to  details  is  the  secret  of  success. 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW 


AN  INITIAL  FINE  OF  25  CENTS 

WILL  BE  ASSESSED  FOR  FAILURE  TO  RETURN 
THIS  BOOK  ON  THE  DATE  DUE.  THE  PENALTY 
WILL  INCREASE  TO  SO  CENTS  ON  THE  FOURTH 
DAY  AND  TO  $1.OO  ON  THE  SEVENTH  DAY 
OVERDUE. 


MAR    12  1936 


LD  21-100m-7,'33 


